The Ravenclaw Affair
by JenniePenny
Summary: When Dumbledore finds out that the sorting hat is one of Voldemort's horcrux's he must Re-Sort all of the students into their proper Houses with the help of an ancient sorting hat. When Hermione & Draco discover that they are the ONLY students sorted into Ravenclaw, will they compromise and make it work or will they tear each other limb for limb first? ROMANCE LOVE STORY
1. The Sorting

The Ravenclaw Affair

*This takes place in an alternate 7th year but it's very loosely based. There will be elements from 6th year too. Dumbledore is not dead and Snape is still the Potions teacher. I will observe canon where I can, but I will deviate away from canon when the story calls for it. There will be language and sex in later chapters, so if you are not of age then please do not read this. Otherwise, enjoy!

Chapter One

It was the start of yet another splendid year and Hermione was enjoying herself with her friends at the Gryffindor table as they waited for the first year sorting ceremony to begin.

"I hope we get that kid, look at the size of him. He looks like a natural born beater," Ron said as he nudged Harry and Hermione.

"Honestly, don't you think of anything else other than Quidditch?" Hermione asked.

"I dunno, I was thinking the same thing as Ron," Harry shrugged and Hermione rolled her eyes. When Dumbledore entered the hall and raised his hands to the student body the noise in the hall died down.

"It's good to see everybody. Before the sorting ceremony begins we have a spot of business to attend to first. Harry Potter, if you could join me up here please."

Hermione looked to Harry but he appeared just as confused as the rest of the Gryffindor table as he made his way through the rows to the front of the hall, where Dumbledore stood next to the old, sorting hat.

"You remember how the sorting hat debated on which House to put you in way back when you were just a first year student?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Well, it's not the first time. It's done it a number of times and I found that curious. We've recently come upon some shocking information, one that tells us that this sorting hat, which we've used for more than a century was intentionally tampered with by Voldemort. More than likely it happened when he attended Hogwarts as Tom Riddle. It's a Horcrux Harry." At that, Dumbledore passed Harry a basilisk fang. Go on my boy," Dumbledore said and he waved his hands. "Kill it."

"Right here Sir? In front of everyone?" Harry said stunned.

"Oh yes, do it here," the old wizard smiled warmly. Hermione scrunched her nose. _Was he really going to murder the sorting hat, and all before breakfast? How awful_ she thought to herself, but Draco Malfoy and the other Slytherins were rubbing their hands together in anticipation. "Psychopaths," Hermione said to Ron and motioned to Malfoy. Ron nodded in agreement. Harry raised the basilisk fang high over his head and then with a quick plunge, he stabbed the fang through the old hat. It shrieked and black ooze that looked like blood exploded from it and the whole hall took one collective gasp.

"Wicked," she heard Malfoy say from the Slytherin table and he wagged his eyebrows at Hermione in a sinister fashion.

"I hope they don't expect us to eat now," Hermione said annoyed.

"Thank you dear boy, you may take your seat," Dumbledore said and Harry waltzed back to his seat unfazed. "I know that it's customary for us to sort the first year students, welcome them to their new houses and then start the feast. This year will be a bit different so please bear with me. I have it on good authority that the house elves are keeping the feast warm, so you will be able to eat after the sorting ceremony. Now, when I call your name please stand up and make your way up to the front." At that Dumbledore reached behind the teachers table where he brought out a new hat. It was tall, pointy and looked even older than the last sorting hat, though it had a more majestic appearance. He set it on the sorting chair and everyone in the hall looked at each other, dumbfounded. "We have a new sorting hat, as you can see. It was used in ancient times. Merlin himself was sorted by this hat so you're all in for a treat."

"Ronald Weasley," Dumbledore then said, "Please sit and be sorted."

"What? But I've already been sorted."

"The old hat was a Horcrux. We have to resort everyone. It's the only way to know if everyone is in their proper houses." The entire Great Hall was buzzing at that. Harry looked pale as a ghost, probably because he was almost sorted into Slytherin the first time. Hermione didn't worry though; she was brave and courageous so she would assuredly be sorted into Gryffindor again. And so it went, the sorting began and aside from a few changes most of the students stayed with their original house all except the Ravenclaws, who were all sorted into different houses. Some did better with the sorting, as Susan Bones was quite happy to be welcomed into Gryffindor. Oddly though, nobody had been sorted into Ravenclaw and the Gryffindor table was getting to be rather jam packed as more and more new students were sorted into the noble house.

"Hermione Granger," he said and Hermione stood eagerly and made her way to the chair.

"Merlin, why don't you pin your hair up girl," the old hat said. "I fear that the bush atop your head is going to make me sneeze."

"Oh get on with it already," Hermione said and her cheeks were on fire when the Slytherin table broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Ravenclaw," the new sorting hat said.

"What? There must be a mistake."

"Achoo!" the hat sneezed and more chuckles rang out through the hall. Humiliated and annoyed Hermione thrust the hat off her head and with folded arms made her way to the Ravenclaw table. It was only half full, most of them being sorted into either Hufflepuff or Gryffindor and even a few into Slytherin.

"Harry Potter." Harry didn't get any better news and his worries were realized when he was sorted into Slytherin. Hermione smiled and shot Malfoy a contemptuous look when she noticed him glowering about Harry Potter being sorted into his house.

"Draco Malfoy," the hat said and Draco straightened his robes and causally sauntered up to the hat. "Ravenclaw." Hermione froze when she heard it and Malfoy didn't look any happier about the turn of the events, as he took a seat at the farthest end of the table, away from Hermione. One by one the entire school was resorted and the Ravenclaw House table was nearly empty, all but she, Malfoy and Cho Chang remained. She scooted over next to Cho and prayed that when she was sorted into her house that she would stay in Ravenclaw.

"Gryffindor," the hat said instead and Hermione closed her eyes and wished for the Knight Bus to flatten her at that very moment.

"Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore said and a spread of food fit for a King and Queen appeared at the table.

"This has to be a fucking mistake," Malfoy said sneering at Hermione. "I'll be eating in my normal place. I wouldn't want to get dirty sitting next to a Mudblood." His plate had appeared across the table from where Hermione sat so he reached down to pick up his plate only it wouldn't move. His plate was stuck to the table. At that Hermione stood and made her way to the teachers table.

"That hat is old and senile. It put me and Malfoy in Ravenclaw."

"I see that, Miss Granger. It's not hard to see why though. You and Mr. Malfoy are the two brightest students in the school."

"Alright," Hermione said, "but did you notice that we are the only ones who were sorted into Ravenclaw? Didn't you find that a little odd?"

"Is it our faults if you lot are a bit dim?" Professor Snape piped in with his nasty commentary.

"As our teachers, yes, yes it is your fault," Hermione fired back.

"Sit down, Miss Granger. Five points from Ravenclaw." Hermione turned away in a huff.

"Way to go, Granger. We will be lucky to end up with twenty points by the end of the school year, what with you being here," Malfoy said as he took a bite of turkey.

"Shut up, Malfoy." She was in no mood, so she ate her meal and then went to her first class. As if things couldn't get any worse, her first class did just that. It was Advanced Arithmancy, a class that Hermione loved to pieces. She had studied a whole month before she took the placement test and she'd gotten a perfect score on it. It was a hard test and it had challenged her, which had made her swimmingly happy. However, it appeared that the test was a little too hard because the only other student in the classroom was once again Draco Malfoy.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. Are you following me, Granger?"

"Stow it Malfoy."

An hour later, Hermione was thrilled when she was united with her Gryffindor friends in Potions class. She took her normal seat at the table with Ron and Harry and a sense of relief washed over her.

"Bloody hell, you and Malfoy in Ravenclaw?" Ron said and he reached out and held Hermione's hand. "And you Harry, sorted into Slytherin. It's not going to be the same in Gryffindor without you guys."

"Don't complain Ron," Harry said gloomily. "I'm probably going to end up bunking next to Crabbe and Goyle."

"Well, I'm going to be skin and bones by the time this year is over. Did you see the bloody multitude in Gryffindor? Everyone was grabbing for food and there wasn't enough to go around," Ron went on. "I don't know how we're all going to fit in the dorms."

"Honestly Ron, I think Hermione has it the worst." They both turned to Hermione and looked at her like it was her funeral.

"No, no, no. This is all wrong," Professor Snape said when he blew into the room with his cape flying behind him. "New Houses, new seating chart. Board," he said and he pointed to the blackboard where he had drawn a seating chart. Everybody moaned as they switched seats but none as much as Malfoy, who stood and protested.

"I can't brew potions with Granger."

"Why," Snape drawled disinterestedly.

"Because my Mum taught me to never talk to strangers. Strangers and Mudbloods." Draco gazed over at the Slytherin table where Blaise Zabini, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Harry Potter sat, the first three of whom began laughing at that.

"It's not funny," Harry Potter uttered under his breath and the Slytherin table put a lid on their chuckles. That seemed to piss Malfoy off. He apparently didn't like that his friends were now listening to Harry.

"Five points from Ravenclaw. Sit down Mr. Malfoy."

"Arse," Hermione said under her breath.

"Five more points from Ravenclaw."

"Honestly?" Hermione said in frustration.

"Five more. Are you done, Miss Granger, or may I actually teach now?"

Lunch was a repeat of breakfast where she and Malfoy ate across from each other and neither one spoke, but at dinner the snarky blond had opted to return to his old house table. Hermione lifted her nose from the reference book she'd been reading in time to see Malfoy being told off by Zabini when Draco, plateless since the plates were stuck to the table and unable to be moved, tried to pinch a slice of cornbread off Blaise's plate only to have his hand smacked away. He was then told that he should eat with his other housemates and that they were sorry that he'd been booted from Slytherin, but it wasn't their fault and they didn't want to get in trouble for letting him sit with them. Sweet victory played over Hermione's face. Anything that got under Malfoy's skin was aces in her book.

"I'm going to the common room."

"Why tell me?" Hermione said bored.

"What's the bloody password?"

Hermione knew the password because Cho had told it to her when she thought that she was staying in Ravenclaw and Hermione had thought to ask, but she'd forgotten to ask her exactly where the Ravenclaw common room was. "I'll tell you the password if you tell me how to get to Ravenclaw."

"Fine Granger. Tell me the password."

"No way. You'll lie and tell me the wrong way and I'll get lost in the castle. No, we will go together, as much as I don't fancy the idea."

"Untrusting type, eh?" Malfoy said and he scooped a bite of apple strudel into his mouth and then swathed his lips with his tongue. Hermione gulped.

"With you, yes."

"Such house unity we have," Draco chuckled and Hermione rolled her eyes. She was going to go bloody bonkers having to look at his face three times a day at meals and she was certain that one of them would hex the other before the end of the week. It was going to be a very long year.

There was one good thing about being in a house with a former Slytherin and that was that Draco was a sneaky bastard. He really did know where to find the Ravenclaw common room, which surprised Hermione. The thought that he was full of shit had occurred to her more than once as the made their way up, high in one of the towers. "So what's the fucking password Granger?"

"They don't have a password. Er—We don't have a password I mean. You have to answer a riddle."

"Are you joking? We have to answer a riddle each time we want to enter our own common room? Whose brilliant idea was that?"

"Rowena Ravenclaw you idiot." The portal was a bronzed eagle shaped knocker so Hermione used it.

"Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?" it asked her and Hermione stopped to think about the question.

"Yesterday, today and tomorrow," Malfoy said as if bored and Hermione glared at him. She had wanted to be the one to answer the riddle, but she was tired and she had at least couple hours of studying to do so she followed Malfoy into the common room.

"Wow, this is pretty cool," Draco Malfoy said staring up at the ceiling. Hermione followed his gaze and was surprised to see that the domed ceiling was full of stars that twinkled in the night sky. It was breathtaking. The rest of the common room was nice as well. It had bookcases and desks and it was much more suited to a serious student. She'd always hated the dim light in the Gryffindor common room. It was not conducive to studying. When she turned around, intent on finding the girls dormitories, Malfoy was nowhere in sight. _Good_, she thought to herself as she made her way up the spiral staircase that led to the dorms. The Ravenclaw common room was high in one of the towers and in the empty girls dorm she felt rather detached from the rest of the school and even lonely. Dumbledore, with the use of magic, had already brought their personal belongings from their former dorms so, Hermione, not wanting to be in the dorm alone, went back down to the common room.

An hour into her studies she heard an awful scraping sound coming from upstairs, that followed by a crashing bang that startled her.

"Trying to study down here," she hollered but when no answer came she returned to her book. Again, more scraping sounds and then like a herd of elephants Malfoy was coming down the spiral staircase. Hermione cocked her head and watched him. He was eyeing a statue of Venus de Milo, a replica she assumed that was near the common room window. He cupped his hands over the breasts of the statue and Hermione's jaw fell open. "Revolting."

"What are you babbling about, Mudblood?"

"You. You're a pervert. You're molesting that statue."

"Jealous?"

"As if," Hermione replied in disgust as a blush crept over her cheeks.

"I just was checking to see if it was bolted down. Go back to your geek shit."

"Why would it be bolted down?"

"So nobody can nick it."

"Yeah, I guess you would check for something like that. The school probably had to bolt everything down in the Slytherin common room since you're all a good for nothing bunch of liars and thieves, not to mention Death Eaters."

Draco ignored her and instead cast the levitation charm with his wand and the statue began to move through the air towards him.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking her?"

"To my room. I'm doing some renovations."

"What? Like hell you are Malfoy, put that back. It's meant to be there." When Malfoy ignored her and continued his act of thievery Hermione stood and raised her wand.

"Stop it, Granger, I'm taking it," Malfoy said when Hermione cast a counter spell that transferred the movement of the statue back to her wand. Malfoy then did the exact same thing and the statue moved back and forth traveling from his wand to her wand and back again.

"I mean it, Malfoy, it stays." He wouldn't take no for an answer though and when he wrapped his long arms around it and began to carry it, despite her efforts to control it with her wand, Hermione started to worry. She threw her arms around the statue of Venus de Milo and began to pull in the opposite direction from Malfoy.

"Cut the shit, Granger, I'm taking it."

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged," he said and gave her a wicked sneer. The push and pull game of tug of war continued until finally, Malfoy yanked it from her arms. He fell backwards, though, and the statue tumbled from his arms, smashing against the floor and shattering into pieces.

"Great, look what you did now."

"Me? I didn't do it, you did," Malfoy blamed her.

"I hope it wasn't real. If it was we're in big trouble."

"Of course it was real, you stupid Muggle. How good are you at _Reparo_?"

"Better than you," Hermione said snidely.

"Good, then fix it, and do a good job. I'm going to bed."

"Shit," Hermione said when she realized she'd been played by the biggest player in the whole school, Draco Malfoy. She could hear his husky laughs echoing through the common room as he made his way upstairs to the boys' dormitories.

Review!?

So this idea came to me tonight, so I thought I'd get started. Tell me how you like it so far. Thanks for reading. I have some other stories in Harry Potter fandom that are already written that I may edit and put up here if I find the time, but this is the one that I am currently writing for fun, in between working on my original paranormal/fantasy romance.


	2. Spanky

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Two

Hermione put the finishing touches on her masterpiece, the Venus de Used to be Broken Milo and after she'd spent ample time admiring her handiwork she shucked off her clothes and crawled into bed. Sleep found her quickly but then sometime, into the wee hours of the night, she was awakened in the most shocking of ways. She heard the crack and her eyes popped open and then she felt the burn and her eyes misted over.

"Ow!" she let out a bloodcurdling scream that was loud enough to wake a sleeping mountain troll, but when she tried to roll over and couldn't, she found herself pinned by some invisible force as she lay on her stomach in her four poster bed. Her covers were pulled off of her and her nightgown flew up around her hips. Only the thin, cotton fabric of her panties was shielding her from the open air and then she felt another whack and she howled out in pain. "Malfoy I'm going to kill you for this," Hermione said through ragged breaths as the floating paddle came down again and again upon her now stinging bottom. Fifteen times it whacked her and the flesh of her bum was raw by the time the midnight spanking ceased. When the freezing spell let go of her she curled herself into a ball and threw the covers over herself as she wept.

She heard the portal close and she breathed a sigh of relief in knowing that Malfoy had left the common room. She intended to skip breakfast. She peeled off her nightgown and then dropped her panties as she turned and gazed at herself in the mirror. Her bum was bright red and swollen, with welts that tore across her skin, marring it purple in places. She rubbed her sore arse as visions of her spanking played over in her mind. _What a sadistic bastard_, she thought to herself. Just who did he think he was? First he breaks the statue, one that she spent three hours repairing and perfectly mind you, and then when she finally falls to sleep he bewitches a wooden paddle that proceeds to spank her senseless. Oh, the paybacks were going to be a bitch for the blond, she said as she seethed. She used her wand and cast a numbing charm over her bruised and battered bum and then she showered and dressed for a brand new day of hell. When her stomach started to growl, she reluctantly made her way into the Great Hall where the blond was already seated.

Malfoy wouldn't look at her all through breakfast but Hermione was shooting daggers at him as she sipped her tea and ate her scone.

"You really don't know who you're messing with do you Granger?" Malfoy finally looked up and said with a steely jaw.

"I think it's the other way around Malfoy," Hermione fired back and she pulled out her wand. Malfoy in turn did the same as the pair sat across from each other at the Ravenclaw table while the nearby Gryffindors fought over food.

"You are all to meet with your house heads before going on to your first class," McGonagall said as she addressed the students in the Great Hall. "Gryffindor, since there are so many of you, you will stay in the Great Hall, Hufflepuff and Slytherin will meet in their normal place and Ravenclaw you will gather in Professor Flitwick's Charms classroom. Ronald Weasely," the old teacher scolded, "Put the flapjack back. Mr. Finnegan had it first. Five points from Gryffindor for stealing food."

"But we're hungry, and most of us had to sleep on the floor last night."

"Mr. Weasely that is quite enough. Dumbledore is working on the shortage of beds. Dismissed everyone."

"I hate you," Hermione said when she could barely sit down at one of the desks in the Charms room. Oddly, Malfoy opted not to sit at all as he stood slouching against the blackboard instead.

"The feeling is mutual, mudblood," Draco hissed.

"Now, now you're Ravenclaws, so act like it," the diminutive professor of Charms and head of house of Ravenclaw twittered as he breezed into the classroom and took his seat behind a big, oak desk that was too tall for him and caused his feet to dangle like a child's in the air. "I take it by the expressions on your face that you all met Spanky last night?"

"What?" Hermione said in shock. Malfoy's eyes grew larger too as they both perked their ears.

"You lost points for Ravenclaw and in so you were punished appropriately by Spanky, the bewitched paddle," the Professor smiled and Hermione narrowed her eyes on him. She was ready to launch into a tirade but Malfoy beat her to the punch.

"What sort of a sick and demented House is Ravenclaw? You can't strike a student. My father will hear about this." That's when Hermione remembered that Malfoy too had lost points when he made the mudblood comment in Potions class. But he only lost five points from Ravenclaw, whereas Hermione lost a total of fifteen throughout the day. No wonder she got so many smacks. She reached back unconsciously and rubbed her fanny but then stopped when she realized that Malfoy was watching her intently.

"Corporal punishment is perfectly legal at Hogwarts, but why not let us all simmer down. You are the brightest and smartest and in so you should be a shining example to all the students in opposing houses. Don't lose points and you will not be visited by Spanky. It's a matter of simple logic is it not?"

Both Hermione and Malfoy groaned.

"Onto other matters. Quidditch!" the Professor said with bubbling exuberance. "I posted the practice schedule in your common room and your practice starts now, so run along down to the quidditch pitch and we will meet up again next week where we will go over some ways for Ravenclaw to win the House Cup. Isn't it exciting?"

"Quidditch? But I can't play quidditch, and the cup, well don't you think that's a fair bit out of our reach? Look around, there are only two of us," Hermione said in what she thought was stating the obvious.

"We have a longstanding tradition in Ravenclaw of playing and winning at the game of quidditch and I expect no less. We don't make excuses either Miss Granger, it's beneath us. We are Ravenclaws!"

Hermione wanted to hex the Professor at that moment. She looked to Malfoy for some support but he only sighed and swaggered from the room.

He was insane, that's all there was to it. Flitwick and Dumbledore were nuttier than a Snicker's bar, Hermione's favorite muggle treat. They didn't have enough players to even form a proper quidditch team, and Hermione, well Hermione hated to fly. Sure, Malfoy used to play for Slytherin so he wasn't complaining, but the whole notion of them playing quidditch together was preposterous.

"You will play Keeper," Malfoy said as he stood regally with his perfectly pressed robes flapping in the breezy Indian summer weather and holding his state of the art Firebolt in his pale fingers.

"I can't play Keeper."

"Then what position can you play?" he said with an eye roll.

"I don't like to fly."

"You're pathetic Granger. Look, our best shot at this is if you play Keeper. I'll fill the other positions when it's needed, but our best hopes to win is for you to block as many goals as you can and for me to catch the snitch, and fairly fast at that, before the opposing team scores more than one hundred fifty points, because we're never going to get more than that."

"Arrogant."

"What mudblood?"

"You're arrogance is seeping out of you like a poison. You are assuming that you can even catch the snitch, which we both know is debatable."

"And this coming from a filthy mudblood who can't even fly?"

"I can fly. I just don't choose to fly, Ferret," Hermione said in her own defense.

She hated flying. She would have rather been hit with the curse for boils than to have to get on a broomstick. "Get up there and play Keeper. I'm going to send a few quaffles and bludgers your way," Draco said with a chuckle as he sat perched on his broomstick flying high over the quidditch pitch.

Her hands were trembling as she mounted the broom. Her knuckles were white from holding too tightly to the broom handle when she kicked off the ground. Fifteen minutes, that's how long it took her to place herself in position to play Keeper. Malfoy didn't make it any easier on her either as he taunted her saying things like, "a slug moves faster than you," or, "don't fall." That particular taunt was the worst of all because she was deathly afraid of falling.

"Alright, I'm going to send the quaffle your way now. Stop it when I do."

"Alright already," Hermione said but she didn't know how she was going to accomplish that. Both her arms and legs were wound tightly around the broomstick to the point that she was actually laying down on the broom. There was no way in hell that she could loosen her grip enough to be able to catch anything because if she did she was sure that she would fall.

The first one grazed her head and then sailed through the goal and Malfoy chastised her for it. The second one hit the end of her broom and she teetered and nearly fell, but when he started smacking bludgers at her it went from bad to worse.

"Granger, just let yourself fall. You need to get over the fear, or this is all bloody pointless."

"No!"

"You look ridiculous. Looks like your humping your broom," the blond laughed as Hermione clung on for dear life. "It's not going to kill you. Just fall," he said and he swung a beater bat and she heard the loud crack and then the bludger was coming at her. It hit her hand and she wailed out in pain as her fingers came loose and then she was dangling precariously, upside down and by only one leg. "Fall already," he said as if put out by having to wait for her to plummet to her death, but then she did. Her face smacked against the grass as she lay there motionless. She should have been dead, she thought to herself, but when she wasn't, something didn't add up.

"The pitch is bewitched Granger. Yeah, it fucking hurts when you fall, and yeah you could break a few bones, but you're not going to die. Now get up and get back up there. You didn't stop a single shot, except with your broom," he chuckled, "And I'm not a chaser. The Chasers are going to eat you for breakfast." At that he flew off to practice his Seeker skills as he whizzed about through the air in hot pursuit of the little, golden ball with wings.

Hermione dusted herself off and crawled to her feet. She was still frightened to be on a broom but it wasn't quite as petrifying to her on the second go round.

"You just keep your eye on the quaffle instead of looking wherever the fuck you're looking when you're tending the goal," Draco advised as they made their way through the halls on their way to Transfiguration.

"But what about the beaters? Won't they gang up on me since they have no Chasers to chase?"

"We're both going to be ganged up upon, so just dodge the bludgers as best as you can."

"That hardly seems fair to gang up on us," Hermione said naively.

"It's quidditch Granger, it's supposed to be brutal."

"Hermione?" she heard someone say and she turned to see Ron as he stood with Harry outside the Transfiguration classroom. He wore a puzzled stare and then he motioned to Malfoy. That's when Hermione realized that she and the spoiled, selfish, bigoted, git had been walking together and furthermore that they had actually been civil to one another. No sooner had a seed been born in her mind, that perhaps things might be alright with them both being in Ravenclaw together, did Malfoy drown that seed when he intentionally slammed into Ron in the doorway.

"Pardon me, you were blocking the doorway with your fat arse.".

"Eat shit Malfoy," Ron fired back.

"I was about to ask you how things are going with Malfoy," Harry interrupted, "But then I guess I don't have to ask."

"Harry," Hermione heard from the back of the classroom as the trio made their way inside McGonagall's class. She peered up to see Pansy Parkinson, coyly waving to Harry. Harry blushed and gave her a polite nod.

"You're in my seat, Potter," Malfoy said with a sneer and Harry looked up and glared at him. "All the classes have new seat assignments. You'd know that if you read the sign on the door," he bit out and then he dropped his books on the desk where Harry sat next to Hermione. The sound echoed through the room.

Malfoy was entirely too chatty and too touchy feely, as he more than once leaned over to ask Hermione what page they were on when he already knew the answer, and he fingered the back of her chair when he did it, all before throwing a glance over his shoulder in an attempt to get on Harry's nerves. Hermione decided that Harry's blush when the Slytherin girl waved to him probably didn't go unnoticed by Malfoy, which was the reason for his uncharacteristic shift in attitude towards Hermione. Still, he was way too close to her and the cologne that he wore wafted in her direction. It wasn't overdone and it wasn't applied in an effort to mask a particularly pungent body odor problem. He was wearing the right amount and Hermione closed her eyes and inhaled the fragrant bergamot smell. It was light, with a hint of citrus and with an undercurrent of minty freshness. It reminded her of her favorite tea, Earl Grey. She exhaled and when she opened her eyes he was smirking. _Bugger_, she said to herself when she knew that she'd been caught liking the smell of Malfoy.

"I bet you liked it, just like you liked my cologne today in Transfiguration," the blond said at lunch and he wagged his eyebrows.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said and she opened a book that she'd checked out from the library entitled, _So You Were Sorted into Ravenclaw Now What? _

"Spanky. You liked it. Did it make you wet Granger?"

Her jaw dropped.

"You did. Next time imagine the smell of my cologne while you're getting your mudblood arse whipped by Spanky. I have a similar one like it in my trunk."

"Disgusting," Hermione said but her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.

"You say that now, but wait until the dead of winter when the homework dries up and the Professors stop assigning it so the dumb fuck Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors can catch up. You'll be begging for a look in my toy box."

"You're lying."

"Possibly. Come to my room and I'll show you," Malfoy said and he raised a cheeky eyebrow as if challenging her.

"I'd rather lick a toad."

"Granger's tongue," Malfoy said and then he began to clap, "Thanks. Now my appetite is ruined."

"Mine was ruined the moment you sat down," Hermione said and she dropped her fork.

"It's mine, I saw it first," Ginny Weasely shouted at the top of her lungs and then she and Cho Chang were sliding on the floor, grappling for a chicken leg. When an all-out brawl started the Slytherins started taking bets as money exchanged hands. It was Harry Potter who stood up, carrying a chicken leg like a peace offering in his hand, who then broke up the cat fight. He passed Cho the leg and she thanked him, while Ginny victoriously ate the one that she'd won in battle while she sat, legs sprawled on the floor of the Great Hall.

"Kind of makes you glad you're with me in Ravenclaw and not with those bloody savages, huh Granger?" Draco smirked.

"Not bloody likely," Hermione fired back, but deep down inside she was. They were troglodytes-just like Malfoy said _savages_.

She'd made it through the whole day without losing any house points and she was thankful for it, as the numbing spell had started to wear off and her bum was once again stinging after her meeting with Spanky. Then it happened, and it was all Malfoy's fault. He probably even did it on purpose. In fact, she was certain that he did, when he leaned over to drop a bezoar into the potion they were brewing and his expensive watch snagged in her bushy hair and became stuck.

"Get it out. Now," she said with urgency.

"Testy, testy," he said and then he reached around her neck with the other arm and leaned in closer in order to untangle her hair from his watch. She could feel his breath on her neck and satisfying goose bumps exploded down her arms. His cologne wafted in her nose again and her womanly hormones were awakened.

"Just rip it!" She shouted in frustration, and then he pulled his arms back with a satisfied grin on his face when he did so.

"Five points from Ravenclaw for shouting out in class," Professor Snape said and Hermione cursed under her breath.

"Scream loudly. I want to be able to hear your moans all the way to my bedroom," Malfoy whispered and Hermione wanted to slap the taste out of his mouth, that, or kiss him which was more disturbing a thought to her than knowing that in the middle of the night her already worn out arse was going to take another bruising.

Hermione retired to the library where she was able to sit down with Harry, Ron, Ginny and Neville. It was nice to be back in the company of her Gryffindor friends, even if most of them were acting like what her mother referred to as _clods_. It seemed that Harry was beginning to fit in with the Slytherins, even if he wouldn't admit it to Ron, who would have been mortified to hear that Harry might actually like a few of those who Ron considered his mortal enemies. Hermione knew this by the way several Slytherins said hello to Harry as they walked by their table in the library. Malfoy was nowhere in sight, which was better than great because he'd been getting under her skin all damn day.

"I can't believe you're going to play quidditch Hermione," Ron said and he shook his head.

"Why not? You play quidditch and Harry plays quidditch. Why is it so hard to believe that I would play quidditch?" Hermione said with a sense of indignation.

"Because it's you, Hermione Granger," Ron laughed.

"Ron," Harry gave him that look, the one that should have told him to shut up and back off, but he didn't heed the warning from Harry Potter.

"What? I mean come on Harry, she can't even fly. Don't get me wrong Hermione; you're the smartest person I know, but quidditch?"

"I'll have you know that Malfoy and I worked on my Keeper skills today and I got over most of my fear of flying."

"I think it's great you're playing quidditch Hermione," Harry said with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, well thanks Harry. I have studying to do so I'll see ya. Perhaps wear knee pads next time they're serving chicken in the Great Hall," Hermione said to Ginny with a smirk of her own.

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea," Ginny replied.

Her homework took her approximately fifty one minutes to complete. No wonder none of the other students were sorted into Ravenclaw. They were all slackers, and so were the teachers. They should have been piling on the studies what with it being their last year and all, yet they weren't and still the Gryffindors were complaining about having to do too much homework earlier, when they were in the library. With nothing to do she found herself bored, so as she sat in the Ravenclaw common room, alone, she decided to catch up on some of her reading about the new house she found herself in. Oddly though, the book she'd only barely begun to read was missing from the stack of books that she had piled on the coffee table next to the sofa and the fire place. She looked everywhere, but the one book that she desperately wanted to read was gone.

"Malfoy," she said angrily and then she marched up the spiral staircase that led to the boys dorms.

Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw when she got upstairs. Nothing. The boys' dormitory looked like anything but a dorm room. It looked more like a suite in a five star, muggle hotel. He had removed all of the beds, minus one, which he apparently performed magic on because it was now a stately, king size bed and the plain, wood four posters had grown in size and now had intricate designs carved into the wood. He had raided the Herbology greenhouse it seemed, because he had potted plants in every corner of the room, and he even had a few priceless tapestries hanging on the walls. She recognized one of them as being from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and the rug on the floor was from the entryway to the library. That thief, she thought to herself but then he spoke up and she found herself at a loss for words.

"Granger really," he drawled, "Can't a chap get a moment alone to himself," he said and then he sat up and Hermione's jaw hung open. He was wearing a pair of gray trousers and his normal crisp, white button up shirt was all the way unbuttoned. His skin was pale but there was definition in his lean chest and she sucked in a breath. There was thin line of soft, blond hair that started below his sternum and fell down in a line under his waistband.

"I-I, book," she was relieved when she remembered what in the hell had driven her to go up there in the first place. "Did you nick my book on Ravenclaw?"

"Yeah, you want it back?"

"I checked it out, so of course I want it back."

"Come get it then," he said and he motioned to the thick, reference book that was lying open on his bed. He leaned back against the bed at that with his hands clasped behind his head in a pose that was oozing arrogance. That was the first time she'd noticed that behind that truly awful Malfoy interior, on the outside was a handsome man. She hated him for it because it was causing her to feel things, weird things, things that she didn't want to feel let alone acknowledge.

She padded across the floor, her hands perspiring and a lump the size of a bezoar in her throat and then when she reached the end of the bed he smirked as he raked a hand through his platinum locks.

"Wingardium leviosa," she chanted and the book hovered in the air. With a flick of her wand it was back in her hand and she turned to leave with a victorious smile plastered her face as she left.

"Damn," she heard him curse as she made her way down the spiral staircase.

It was three in the morning when she awoke, pinned to her bed. Her nightgown rose and then she felt the sting from Spanky as it slashed across the bare skin of her arse. How could she have forgotten to wear undies? She'd taken them off because the material from them was scratching against the painful welts but she had meant to put a fresh pair on before she retired for the night. Her eyes watered after the first paddling and she forced her eyes closed.

"Malfoy's cologne, Earl Grey," she chided as a way to comfort herself. It was the first thing that came to mind for some reason when she tried to comfort herself by thinking about something nice. "Ouch!" The second one stung even worse. By the fourth hit she cried out and when the last spanking came, she felt tingles in her nether region as she thought about her pureblooded tormentor. She hated herself for it too. She truly hated Malfoy, with every fiber of her being. Hated him. She sighed in relief that she'd only had five points taken from Ravenclaw when the spanking was over with and her body was released from being pinned.

"Good girl," he purred. "You have a hot arse—for a mudblood I mean."

Hermione buried her head in her pillow and screamed when she saw Draco Malfoy standing in the doorway of her dorm. He had a noticeable bulge in his pants.

Review!?

I will have a plot for this story and it will come into play soon. I have something rolling around in my brain, so we will have to wait and see ;) As always let me know how you like it, and thanks so much for reading my story and for reviewing. Next chapter I will switch to Draco's POV, because that's always fun lol


	3. The Looking Glass

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Three

He was tempted to wank in the common room, sprawled out and bathed in the soft, orange glow of the steady burning fire, with hopes that the frenzied witch would watch him from the loft above, but he thought better of it, just in the off chance that he'd read the Granger girl wrong. It hadn't even been a week and she was already lusting after him. He hoped to have her thoroughly broken in as his fuck buddy by January, when the weather turned cold and boredom set in. At least then he could spend the cold winter nights between the legs of the Granger girl and getting his rocks off on a regular basis. His plans were moving along at a pace that even astounded him. _I might need to back off a little_, he said to himself, because he didn't want her to fall head over heels for him anywhere near, or around the Christmas holidays. No, the holidays were off limits. Girlfriend's expected gifts, jewelry, in little velvet boxes all tied up with bows and ribbons and promises of love. It wasn't enough that he would go the whole nine yards in the bedroom, making a witch's toes curl when he worked his magic. Witches always wanted more, and it was a _more_ that he was not willing to give. That's why Granger was a safe bet. For one, she hated him, and for two, she hated purebloods almost as much as he hated mudbloods. For that reason, she would make a great shag partner and he'd never even have to leave Ravenclaw. He remembered how he felt when the shocking sorting hat results revealed themselves before the entire flock of stunned and bewildered students that day in the Great Hall, and he too had reason for outcry, but when he considered everything, he began to look at the unique situation he found himself in, in a whole new light. Granger, on the whole was decent looking, although her hair was a wild, untamed nest, and the fact that they were the only two Ravenclaws at Hogwarts, made fucking her a no brainer. Second to that, was the fact that it would drive Harry Potter completely over the edge, and his sidekick, the brainless idiot, Weaselbee. He dropped his pants and lay down in bed with visions of Granger's hour glass hips and round arse, pointed up to the ceiling, as the bewitched paddle came down upon her, was a visual he'd not soon forget. But when he heard her say his name, his cock went immediately rigid. He was painfully erect still, so he wrapped his pale fingers around his shaft and gave it a few well-earned tugs. Just in case there was any doubt as to his intentions where the Granger girl was concerned, he made sure that his moans were well loud enough for her to hear.

He dressed quickly, as he heard her downstairs in the common room and he wanted her to at least see him before she raised her stuck up nose into the air and escaped through the portal. So he hurried down the spiral staircase and then stopped, blocking the girl so that she couldn't pass by him. "Morning Granger," he said with a smirk and she ignored him as she turned and gathered her books. "So last night…Spanky—"

"You're a filthy little cockroach," she said and then her hand flew to slap him, but he caught it before she could land the stinging blow. "Don't come near me or my dorm. If you do you'll be sorry," she glared at him. "You'll walk out of there with one less of something that you had when you walked in."

Draco's Adams apple bulged in his throat when he heard her warning. His plan had hit a snag, but it was only a snag.

There was an artic chill at the Ravenclaw table, so Draco decided to pay his Slytherin mates a visit. Harry Potter was sitting in his former spot, between those bloody oafs, Crabbe and Goyle and the Golden Boy looked to be lost in worry, so it was a perfect opportunity to get under his skin. "What's the matter Potter, you look like you just lost your Mum? Oh no wait, you did."

"Shove off Malfoy, before I lose my temper."

"I just wanted to ask you about Granger. What's her favorite color?"

"Why Draco? Going lingerie shopping again?" Blaise said and he winked. Old habits die hard. Harry Potter stood from the table with his wand in Draco's face.

"You leave Hermione alone. If I so much as hear that you laid one hand on her."

"Do other body parts count, or does that threat only apply to one hand? Just so I know, is that the left or the right hand?" Blaise jumped between the two men when Harry's eyes flashed darkly.

"Draco why don't you go. Harry's not having a good day," Pansy Parkinson, a pug faced bint who from Draco's recollection, chirped like a chipmunk when she climaxed, piped in and Draco had to contain his rage. It wasn't that he liked Pansy per say, because he didn't. She was just a means to an end during the brief time that he dated her. What bothered him most was that Potter, had seemingly moved into Slytherin, and had within a week, taken his place. It was a trend that grated on his every last nerve. Draco sneered at Harry Potter and then made his way back to the Ravenclaw table.

"It's not like I said you had an ugly arse. I complimented you, so I don't understand all the iciness," Draco said and he casually popped a grape into his mouth.

"I know what you did after you left. I have ears," she said with a scowl and Draco smiled down into his chest.

"You should be flattered."

"It's improper."

"Improper?" Draco chuckled aloud.

"Just drop it, alright, before I _obliviate _myself."

"Are you a virgin Granger?"

"That is none of your business."

"I just figured that you and Potter and Weaselbee—"

"Don't say it. Don't say another word to me, Malfoy."

Almost a week had passed and the cold front that was Hermione Granger hadn't thawed, as they waited for Professor Flitwick to start the weekly Head of House meeting.

"I'm sorry," Draco said after much debate. He wasn't, but he knew that women appreciated such penitent gestures. It made them feel like they were in control, which Granger certainly wasn't, but the payoff for allowing her _think _that she was, would further his agenda so he bit the bullet and apologized.

"No, you're not."

"Fuck Granger, do you always have to be so cruel? I'm really trying here," Draco feigned a wounded expression and held his hand over his heart.

She sighed and he raised a hopeful eyebrow. "Alright, but if you ever pull anything like that again I'll hex your balls off."

"Ouch," Draco said under his breath.

"So sorry that I'm late. Teacher's meeting about what to do about those unruly Gryffindor's," the Professor said when he strolled in ten minutes late for their meeting.

"I say we gather them up and sacrifice the whole bloody lot to the mer people in the Black lake as offerings."

"Or you could just provide enough food for everyone and give them a warm bed to sleep in," Hermione said rolling her eyes at Draco.

"It's not as easy as all that. Dumbledore thinks that the exploding Gryffindor population has a part to play in defeating Voldemort, and besides, the enchantments in the kitchen don't allow for us to feed twice the number of students at a table."

"Priceless," Draco chuckled.

"He also thinks that the unusually small number of Ravenclaw students may be a harbinger, which is why he asked me to give you both this," the diminutive Professor of Charms said and he held out a piece of parchment that was rolled up into a scroll. Draco and Hermione lunged for it at the same time, but it was Draco that snatched it out of the air with his longer reach.

"That's a clue to the lost _Looking Glass of Lemuria_."

"What is it?" Draco asked when his curiosity was piqued.

"Would you trust my word on what it is, or would you research it yourself?" Professor Flitwick asked Draco and he considered his question for all of a second.

"I would do my own research." Hermione nodded in agreement. _Fuck, they really did both belong in Ravenclaw_.

"Precisely, which is why I am not going to tell you anything more than I already have. A Ravenclaw does not trust information handed to them on a silver platter. A Ravenclaw digs for it and then he or she analyzes their findings and applies their own insights. Needless to say, there is a reason that Dumbledore asked that it be Ravenclaw who receives the clue, but I will let you both figure that out on your own as well. Exciting it is! I do need to warn you however, and Dumbledore and I had words over this, because I do not agree with his decision, but you aren't the only pair to receive this clue."

"Who else has the clue?" Granger asked.

"That I am not allowed to divulge."

"What's in it for us?" Draco asked.

"Malfoy, we don't have to _get_ anything. It should be enough that we would be helping to fight against evil," Granger said and she shook her head as if disgusted with him.

"One thousand House points will be awarded to Ravenclaw should you find it, not to mention the recognition you would receive from the school and the Ministry. You would probably be assured a position at the Ministry upon graduation. One good deed can take you a long way towards clearing up any unpleasantness in ones checkered family past," Flitwick uttered and he turned his stare on Draco.

"We will do everything in our power to find it Professor," Hermione said beaming and Draco could see the wheels in her head turning. It was for that reason that he was pleased with himself, for he had the clue _not_ Hermione. Hermione would do anything to have a look at it, and Draco fully intended to take advantage of that power.

After that the Professor of Charms made Draco and Hermione take an Unbreakable Vow that they would not divulge the secrets they unearthed to anyone outside of Dumbledore. They weren't even allowed to tell Flitwick anything should they find any information out during their quest. Draco was hesitant, for he knew that if the Dark Lord found out about his quest, he would force him to tell him everything that he knew. Eventually though, he agreed and he took the vow. He wasn't about to let Granger have all the glory.

"Aside from that, I need to remind you that your first quidditch match is next Friday. Good luck. Beat those Hufflepuffs!"

Both Draco and Hermione groaned in unison.

Later that night in the common room, Draco was writing a paper on Vampires and their contributions to society. He didn't believe a bloody word written on the parchment, but he knew the sort of drivel the Professor of Magical History expected, so he bull-shitted his way through it. Granger was in the library, no doubt checking out each and every book that even referenced the lost _Looking Glass of Lemuria_. Finally, when curiosity got the better of him he set his quill down and carefully unrolled the scroll.

"Blast," he said when there was a note from Dumbledore that told him that the clue would not reveal itself until both he and the Mudblood were present to read it at the same time. "But she doesn't know that," he chuckled. He quickly rolled it back up and stuffed it in his book bag when he heard Granger coming through the portal.

She had a stack of books a meter high and she parked them in front of Draco. "These are all the books on the looking glass that I could find. There was more on Lemuria, so I took all of those too. I don't want whoever it is that is also working on this to be able to have any reference books at all in which to help them. That way it gives us a leg up."

"Mighty Slytherin of you Granger," Draco smirked.

"No, it's just smart thinking. That's a Ravenclaw trait. So let's read the clue," she said eagerly and she plopped down on the sofa next to Draco.

"No, I don't think so," he replied coolly as he shut his book.

"You have to. You and I are to work on this together. You heard professor Flitwick. Now hand it over Malfoy," she said annoyed and Draco smirked and shook his head.

"What do you want? Let's just cut to it. You want something. What?"

"To spank you. Yeah, why should Spanky have all the fun?"

"What?" she said flabbergasted. "No way, Malfoy! Seriously?" Draco only smiled. She was debating his proposition in her mind and ultimately she would agree to it, but it wasn't because of the bloody clue. She secretly wanted him to do it and he knew that, even if she didn't.

"Not bare bummed. I won't even consider that."

"You can wear panties, but they can't be Granny panties. They have to be sexy. Black ones," he said as an afterthought, "And lacy, with some amount of sheerness to them."

"Gods you're a pervert."

"Mmm," Draco said and he witnessed a panic that swept through the Granger girl as her bottom lip began to tremble.

"Well, I don't have panties like that. They're not sensible or practical."

Two hours later as she sat in the common room alone she started to question her sanity. "Why in the hell did I agree to that?" she said aloud to herself and she pulled her knees into her chest whilst she sat on the plush, blue Ravenclaw sofa and watched the gentle flicker of the warming fire.

"Because you secretly want it too, Granger," Malfoy said as he arrived back through the portal unannounced. It startled her and when she saw him holding a pair of black, lacy panties that dangled from his pale fingers, she was a bundle of nerves. "Hogsmeade has a nice selection of women's undergarments in the dress shop," he said and he wagged his eyebrows. "Put them on."

"Oh honestly, just show me the clue Malfoy and stop all this nonsense."

"You agreed."

"Something I already regret."

"Put them on Granger."

"Fine. Don't tell me what to do though," she fired back.

"Nothing but these. I said you could wear panties, but that's it."

"No! You never said anything about taking my shirt off. No, I won't do it."

"I'm amending that deal. Panties only."

"I hate you!"

"I know," Malfoy smirked. "It's your choice."

"You are despicable," Hermione said with vehemence but then she marched up the stairs and shucked her clothes. She slipped on the nearly see through panties and then she stopped to look at herself in the mirror. _Wow_, she thought to herself when she saw herself looking every bit the seductress. All at once, she felt sexy, something that was as foreign to her as bad grades. Upon closer inspection she was relieved to find that the welts on her bum had healed, but that was all about to change. She was mental to let Malfoy spank her, even if the thought excited her. But then there was the clue, and the blond wasn't about to let her see it unless she caved to his demands and they'd already wasted enough time. _It's just one spanking, right?_ She said to herself in order to sooth her nerves. She wrapped herself in a bath robe and then reluctantly made her way down the spiral staircase. When she got to the bottom she sucked in her breath.

"Mal-," she said and every bone in her body was shaking as her knees went weak. His chest was bare and he was wearing only a pair of black, silk boxers that hung low on his hips. The thin line of blond hair that pointed like an arrow south was more exposed than ever and she feasted her eyes over his toned biceps and abs. He was hot and all at once she was afraid.

"I nicked this rug from the Care of Magical Creatures classroom. I thought it would feel better on your knees," he said with a wicked grin and then he laid the pelt that resembled a muggle bear skin rug in front of the fire and he turned down the lights in the common room.

"I—Malfoy, I'm scared," she murmured as she bit her lip.

"If you truly hate it, you can tell me to stop and I will. Now chill out Granger. Come on, lose the robe and get on all fours. You want to see that clue don't you?"

"This is degrading."

"No it's not. It's just fun. You need to lighten up."

She was completely naked under the white, plush robe, all for but a pair of sheer, lace panties that might have well been nonexistent, because in wearing them it didn't leave a lot to the imagination, which of course was exactly the way Malfoy wanted it. He was standing over her with his arms folded, waiting for her to drop to all fours and humiliate herself. She wondered if he intended to do just that, wait for her to disrobe and then insult her to pieces. She wouldn't put it past the snarky, blond either, though the rather large tent in his boxer's, that combined with his lust filled gaze, made her think otherwise. She gulped. She didn't know which was worse, being ripped apart by a torrent of Malfoy-esque insults, or being the object of his amorous intentions.

"I'm not like those Slytherin girls I'll have you know," she reminded.

"Robe," he said and he pointed down to the rug before the fire.

"Close your eyes."

"No. Where's the fun in that?"

"Fine," she huffed, "But I'm keeping my wand with me. I don't trust you."

"Of course," he said in gentlemanly fashion. Hermione chuckled. He was anything _but_ a gentleman.

"If you ask me to stop, I will stop. But you won't."

"I wouldn't bet on that," she said and she let the robe fall in a heap on the floor as she covered her breasts with her arms and then crouched down.

"Uncover yourself."

"If you laugh at me, I'll hex you." Hermione got on all fours at that, her bosom spilling out into full view.

"Bloody hell," he said with excitement. "This is better than the image I had in my mind."

"Just get on with it Malfoy. I'm not enjoying myself here."

He knelt behind her and when she felt his palms gently cupping either cheek she froze up and went rigid. "Relax," he urged. One hand shot forward and cupped her left breast and Hermione squealed when he pinched her pebbled nipple.

"I didn't say that you could feel me up. If you do it again this little game of yours is over." He smirked but nodded. His hands were then on her arse, kneading her flesh and Hermione closed her eyes, preferring not to look. "Ow," she squealed when his hand came down with a resounding smack on her bum.

"Touch yourself Granger."

"No. That's dirty."

"I know. Touch yourself, or I will."

With great reluctance, she slipped her hand down between her legs and then did something that she only ever did by herself, and only on rare occasions, like when she couldn't sleep because she was stressed out over a test. His hands were warm on her arse as he rubbed her with lascivious, circular strokes. Hermione let out a quiet moan and then he spanked her again. It stung and she yelped. That seemed to encourage Malfoy, the sound of her yelps, because his hand shot between her legs and he crushed his hand down over top of hers and then began to rub at her faster and with more purpose. She dropped her head and looked between her legs only to see Malfoy slide his shorts down. When he did, she was met with the sight of his thick, long rod that was engorged and rock solid. Panic set in.

"What are you going to do," Hermione said through ragged breaths.

"Not, _that_, so no worries alright. You want me to stop?" he said and he smacked her arse again. She howled and then his thumb was massaging her nub in such a pleasing way that Hermione was coming completely undone. He stopped and then she felt her underwear being removed as he slid the undergarment down her legs. Everything in her screamed for her to stop him, but then she felt his hot flesh against hers as he moved in closer behind her. He struck her bare bum again and again and Hermione wailed her skin on fire.

"Tell me if you like this Granger," he said, his voice husky and oozing sex and then he slid his cock between her slit and he rocked into her with gentle force as his member slid between her nether lips. He was as hot and bothered as Hermione and she felt a gush of wetness when he pressed the tip of his rod against her virgin bud. His hand guided his ministrations as he rubbed his salty tip against her most sensitive of places, his other hand all the while massaging her red and swollen bum. "Like that don't you," he purred.

"It's Goo—Yes," she encouraged as he rocked his hips and his whole length slid between her moist slit. More than once she felt him at her entrance, and she knew that if he wanted to, he could take her virginity in one thrusting plow of his hips into her, yet he didn't. He kept his word, which was so Un-Malfoy. "Oh Gods, Mal—" she said when she felt the euphoria of her climax. It crashed down over her like a tidal wave of bliss and her head was somewhere in the stars.

"You're so bloody hot and wet for me…Ahhh shit," he groaned and then Hermione felt the spurt from his throbbing manhood as he pulled back and then came as it rained down over her back and arse. He ran his hands down her hips and then he gripped her tightly and flipped her over onto her back. Her body was limp, sated, her backside sticky and her head was making a slow descent back to the planet Earth when he lay down over top of her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. _Gods, what did I just do,_ Hermione said to herself.

Review!?

So I was sorted at the Pottermore site lol Twice I did it, just in case the first time was a fluke ;) Twice I was sorted into the same House…Apparently I am most at home in the dungeons lol Do we have any Ravenclaws here?


	4. Starry Night

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Four

Her head was woozy as Draco Malfoy dropped kisses along her jawline. He was coming dangerously close to her mouth and when he kissed her, she knew that she was done. Finished. His lips were soft and they dragged against her skin. He moaned, and she became aroused and aware that her breasts were pressed tight against the blond's chest and that her legs had naturally woven themselves around his hips.

"Get up Malfoy," she whispered but he only moaned and then his hands were in her hair, lasciviously massaging her. "Malfoy get up. Get up!"

"What?" he said as if he had done nothing wrong. He leaned up onto his elbows to look at her. "All women like to cuddle after they come."

"Not this one. Now move," she lied. Everything in her wanted to do just that, cuddle, kiss, hold, the whole nine yards.

"Granger stop being such a prude. There's nobody here to see us."

"I see us. Get up! You owe me a clue," she said climbing out from under him and wrapping herself in her bath robe once more.

"Yeah, after alright?"

"After what?"

"Shower."

"Fine. Hurry up though. I kept my word, now you keep yours."

She was sated and she yawned while she waited on the sofa for Malfoy to come back down so that they could go over the clue. She must have dozed off though, because when she awoke the sun was streaming through the windows of the common room and Malfoy was nowhere in sight. That bastard, she thought to herself. He was supposed to show her the clue after his shower. In a huff she showered and dressed and then made her way down to breakfast.

"Did you forget something Malfoy?" Hermione said snidely as she bit into her toast.

"Yeah, a goodnight kiss. I feel so used and abused Granger," he drawled.

"Shush," Hermione said. "Somebody might hear you. Look, we're just going to pretend that last night didn't happen."

"Is that how it is?" Hermione gave him a firm nod. "Alright, Mudblood. It never happened," he winked and Hermione sighed.

"Just show me the clue. Ferret." They both laughed, and it was a real laugh, one that wasn't dripping with sarcasm and then Malfoy took out the parchment and unrolled it. A thin piece of paper that was rolled together in the scroll, flew like a feather through the air and Malfoy went to snatch it, but it landed on Hermione's plate and she picked it up and read it.

"Oh my Gods, you lied to me!" she stood and screamed. "You couldn't read the clue without me," she said and she pulled her wand on Draco when she read Dumbledore's note. All of it, the spanking and the other stuff that followed were all a set up. He knew he couldn't read the clue without her.

"I didn't see you complaining. You liked it," he stood and raised his wand.

The whole Hall went quiet as Hermione stood, with wand held on her house mate Draco Malfoy. Harry was staring at her with a worried look on his face and Ron, Ron was making his way over to the table. Hermione lowered her wand and sat back down.

"Slimy git bothering you Hermione?"

"Piss of Weasel. This is a Ravenclaw matter. Go back to your table. Oh look, the house elves brought out a tray of hippogriff treats." Hermione cringed when Ron's head actually shot around to look.

"Blow me Malfoy."

"Can't. Granger might get jealous," Draco said and he made a crude tongue gesture at Hermione which she hoped Ron didn't see.

"Shut up Malfoy. Ron, I'll talk to you later. Thanks for caring about me though," she said and she glared at Draco. When Ron reached into the bowl of cherries that was lying on the table between Hermione and Draco, Malfoy smacked his hand away and made a joke about Ron's parents being poor and it not being any different starving at home so he should be used to it. It reminded Hermione of exactly why she hated the snarky arsehole. When Ron finally left, red-faced and angry from the confrontation, Hermione waved her wand over the parchment and the words fell into view. Both she and Malfoy hovered over the paper as they read.

_I'm safe in the place where blooming hearts a bound._

"That's it?" Hermione quipped. "It's not very much to go on. Blooming hearts," Hermione said as she tapped her wand on her nose, not realizing she was even doing it. Malfoy shook his head and then stood to leave. "Where are you going?"

"To the place where things bloom," he said and Hermione trailed behind him.

"Herbology," she said and she tagged along. They only had half an hour before their first class, Advanced Arithmancy started, so Hermione started a feverish search of the Herbology greenhouse as she lifted up pots and dug with her hands in the dirt.

"Well come on, put your hands in and dig. We don't have much time."

"No. Malfoy's don't dig in the dirt."

"But Mudblood's do, right?" Hermione scowled when Draco chuckled.

"You said it, not me."

"Honestly, just shut up if you're not going to help me."

"It's not here you know. You're wasting my time."

Hermione threw her hands in the air at that. She cast a cleaning charm over her hands and fingernails.

"Why didn't you want to kiss me last night?"

"Drop it. I'm going to class. See ya' Malfoy," she said and she darted off leaving the blond alone in the greenhouse to think about it.

"What's it like sharing a common room with Malfoy? It must get pretty lonely," Ginny Weasely asked when she caught up to Hermione in the hall.

"I don't know, it's not as awful as you'd think."

"It's not? Wow, okay. Something I should know?"

"No!" Hermione fired back a little too eagerly because Ginny raised a curious eyebrow.

"Just be careful Hermione. He has a reputation."

"Oh?" Hermione asked, not wanting to sound too eager, but desperately wanting any and all intel on Draco Malfoy, especially in the dating arena. Not that she was considering dating him. She wasn't. At all.

"I heard from Lavender, who heard from Parvati who heard from Daphne who heard from Millicent, who heard from—"

"Get to it already Ginny," Hermione interjected. Just then, Draco rounded the corridor and when he spotted Hermione, he winked at her and then puckered his lips into a kiss as he strode by them in the hall.

"Hermione?"

"Nothing happened, really. What did you hear?"

"That he's a good lover but he's into some kinky stuff and he also won't commit."

"Well thank Merlin that I like nice boys."

"Hermione, his father is a Death Eater."

"I am well aware of who his father is."

"I thought you and my brother were sort of a thing. No?"

"Ron's nice." She didn't know what else to say. His comment to her about it being hilarious that she was playing quidditch now hurt her feelings, but that was Ron. Some days she thought he might be the guy for her, and other days she wanted to throttle him for being so daft to her feelings.

"Granger, I need a word," Draco said and Hermione turned in shock when he gripped her arm and pulled her into an empty classroom while Ginny looked on. He closed the door and cast a locking charm and then he pressed Hermione up against a wall, caging her so she couldn't leave.

"Why don't you want to kiss me?"

"Why do you even care? I'm a Mudblood."

"I don't care. Not really."

"Then why am I here? And by the way, I don't enjoy being manhandled. I'm not your property."

His cologne wafted in her nose once more and her heart fluttered in her chest. Being in such close proximity to Draco Malfoy, after their tryst the night before, was driving her insane. He moved in closer, pressing his body hard up against hers and then he held her chin firmly in his grip and went to kiss her. She squeezed her eyes shut and her body went rigid, but then suddenly he dropped his hold on her and when she opened her eyes all she saw was his robe as he exited the classroom. "Just breathe Hermione," she said and she exhaled the breath she'd been holding.

Professor Snape asked Draco a question about a hard to brew potion and before he had the chance to answer it, Granger's hand shot up in the air. _Bloody annoying_. The rope binding spell flashed in his mind. With her hands bound and tied securely to the headboard of his bed, he would never have to see her raise her know-it-all hand again. His eyes fell to her hand, so soft and petite and he noticed that she wore a sapphire ring on her ring finger and Draco's thoughts drifted to how her hand would look wrapped around his shaft while she stroked him.

"Draco? I asked you a question," Snape gave him a knowing glance and he folded his arms.

"What? Oh, uh Infusion of Wormwood," he quickly recovered when he was caught off guard.

"Ten points awarded to Ravenclaw."

Hermione smiled at him but he looked away. Why in the fuck didn't she want to kiss him? It was driving him bloody bonkers, and now, more than anything all he wanted to do was snog the life out of her. She let him spank her and then he brought her to a mind bending orgasm, but he wasn't good enough for her to kiss? He started to grow angry. Women did not play him in this manner. It was supposed to be the other way around! He controlled when and what they did. If he wanted to kiss her, and he did very much so after that zesty session on the floor of the common room, then she was supposed to kiss him back. Hell, she was supposed to beg for it. What sort of a cold fish was she? Of all the witches he'd been with _all_ liked to kiss and cuddle after sex, and hell so did he which was hard to admit to himself. He'd never had to think about it before, because usually after he'd pleasured a witch the slag was like putty in his hands and they were all too grateful for his delicious kisses. Fucking hell, he had even been told more than once that he was a great kisser, the best even. Now though, as he sat there watching Granger stir the potion with loving care he found himself annoyed and jealous of the damned stir stick.

"Get out of my head," he said, though he hadn't meant to say it aloud.

"What?" she said and she looked up and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing.

Later that night, in the common room, Draco was doing his best to concentrate on his studies as he took quill to parchment and began to jot down some notes for an extra credit Potions assignment. Not that he needed the extra credit, he didn't. In fact, Potions was one of the classes that he excelled at, and he even had a higher grade than Granger. No, he was bored and unlike the Mudblood, when Draco finished his studies he didn't run to the library in search of a bloody book to take the place of a warm body in is bed. Draco instead had sex with whatever wanting and willing witch that he had his sights on that day and by who was a slag enough to let him under their robes.

"I think you're right Malfoy," the Granger girl spoke up and Draco lifted his head slowly. "I did some checking in the library and there is no plant or shrub called the Blooming Heart. It must be referring to love. The place where love blooms, but that doesn't really help us. Where does love bloom at Hogwarts? That could be anywhere."

"Not true," Draco said.

"If you have something to say by all means say it Malfoy."

"Every bloke in this school knows where to take a girl on a date if he wants to get lucky."

"Oh?" Hermione blushed. "And where might that be?"

"A lot of places. The Astronomy Tower, the Black Lake, the library, the lavatory on the fifth floor, the supplies broom closet next to the Transfiguration classroom. No, nevermind, scratch that one, McGonagall knows about that now," Draco smirked.

"The library?" Hermione scoffed in disbelief.

"There's a dark corner in the back row next to the restricted section. Professors' never go back there and it's out of earshot of Madam Pince, so if you make noises, you won't be heard."

"That's it! Blooming hearts is what happens when you're first dating a person and your pheromones are attracted to each other. The chemical reaction causes the feelings of love to bloom."

"Bloody hell Granger, you make it sound so technical."

"Well, I read about it. There is a scientific reason why we are attracted to one person and not the other and why some pheromones attract us to one person and repel us from another. It's really interesting." Draco shook his head and then grabbed his coat. "Where are you going its past curfew?"

"Astronomy tower to search for the looking glass."

"Well then I'm coming with you."

The autumn chill was definitely upon them as Hermione followed the blond up the winding stairs that led to the astronomy tower. He was sulking she assumed, which was why he wasn't saying a word to her. No insults, no criticism, no name calling, no crude and lewd comments either. Nothing, and it was starting to bug Hermione.

"Draco," she called out to him as the wind whipped her in the face.

"Draco? Calling me by my proper name now?" he turned around to face her.

"Malfoy, I meant," Hermione blushed. He turned back around and continued up the meandering steps that were outside the castle.

"Spit it out Granger."

"I—it's nothing I guess." There was a smidgeon of her that felt bad for what happened in the empty classroom earlier in the day, but she was afraid to tell him the reason that she wouldn't kiss him. In just a few short weeks she'd already changed from hating his guts, to only hating his guts _some_ of the time and then there were the sex thoughts. The weight of his body on her and feeling her breasts pressed against his chest while he held her in his arms, made her feel safe and secure and loved. Yet the word love and Malfoy did not go together, so it was for that reason that she wouldn't let him kiss her. Kissing was romantic, and there was nothing what so ever romantic about Draco Malfoy.

"You look over there and I'll look over here," Hermione said when they reached the top of the tower.

"No," he said and Hermione sighed.

"I thought we came here to look for the looking glass?"

"Yeah, but this isn't where couples go to snog. Not exactly anyways. We need to go to the 'ledge'."

"Well lead on then," Hermione said.

She followed Draco to the far side of the astronomy tower where he sat down on a jutting piece of stone work that was part of the castle wall and that hung out. It was a small but private area and Hermione was once again reminded of her fear of heights. Upon seeing her distress Malfoy held his hand out for her to take, an act of chivalry that astounded Hermione. He then sat down with his back against the cold wall of the castle and his legs outstretched. Hermione followed suit as they sat together on a crisp October night.

"So I don't see a looking glass here," Hermione said nervously and she blew a warm breath into her hands.

"It could be bewitched. Perhaps we're supposed to imitate the actions of a real couple and then the looking glass will reveal itself to us," Malfoy said and it made logical sense to Hermione what he said.

"Well I've never been up here before with a date. Have you?"

"Once or twice," he revealed.

"Well since you seem to be the expert I think you should be the one to lead us on this particular occasion."

"Alright. Well, it's cold up here. See how you you're blowing into your hands to keep warm?" he said and Hermione nodded, confused.

"That's why blokes like to bring a girl up here."

"I don't follow."

"Well, if you were my date, which you're not," he stressed, still brooding over there non-kiss the previous night and again in the classroom. "I would take your hand like this," he said and he laced his warm, pale fingers in hers and Hermione's hand was immediately warm. She gulped.

"So you use the cold as an excuse to hold her hand? Then what?" Hermione asked with great curiosity. She tried to remind herself that they were there to find the looking glass, but she couldn't help it, learning about all of Draco's crib notes were much more fascinating to her.

"Well, it's the astronomy tower, so I'd likely point up to the stars and then ask my date if she had a favorite constellation that she liked to look at." He turned to her at that as if expecting an answer.

"Oh, er—Cassiopeia. I've always liked Cassiopeia."

"You see that star, just there," Draco pointed with one hand while he slinked his other arm around Hermione and pulled her into his body for warmth. She appreciated the gesture but then reminded herself that it was just a ploy Malfoy used on women in order to bed them. "Then if you move down you'll see the second star," he said and with his hand snugly in hers he traced the pattern of the five stars that made up Hermione's favorite constellation, Cassiopeia. Her heart went pitter-patter at that. _Steel yourself 'Mione,_ she said in her mind.

"That's pretty good," she murmured nervously.

"What's your favorite constellation?" she asked innocently and then she cocked her head in confusion when the blond smiled at her. "What, did I say something wrong?" she asked.

"No, quite the contrary."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Because you did exactly as I expected."

"Oh, I see," she said when it dawned on her. "So I flew straight into your web of deceit."

"Draco," he said in a husky voice. "Draco was a noble dragon. See it's just here," he said in a drop-dead sexy voice and then again he traced the constellation with their interlaced hands.

"And then," Hermione barely managed to get out.

"And then I'd tell her something like Draco sits at Cassiopeia's throne and waits for her to rise each night and longing for her beauty."

That's it Hermione was a goner. Draco was smart, which was a turn on to Hermione in the biggest way. He was attractive as hell what with his tall, lean, athletic build and his steely eyes. He smelled minty fresh and delicious, and even though she knew that the story about Draco and Cassiopeia was a lie, one that was designed to make any witch submissive to his advances, it was still much more than most men would take it in order to impress a woman, and that made his story so utterly romantic. She knew in that instant that if Draco wanted to, she would snog him until sunrise. She wanted his lips on hers. She wanted his tongue in her mouth. She wanted his hands to be everywhere, so long as that everywhere was anywhere on her. She just plain wanted him. _Don't turn your face towards me, don't look at me Draco, because if you do I'm going to kiss you and I'm never going to stop. _He turned towards her at that and Hermione prayed to Merlin for strength.

"And then we'd snog for a good long while under the stars." That was it, she was done. Done. She leaned into him at that as she wet her lips. His gaze bore into her and pulled her hard against his chest as his head dipped to kiss her. That was it, and time stood still as they shared the same air. There was no turning back if she kissed him, and she knew it, but she wanted those lips like a starving Gryffindor wanted a chicken leg. Hermione closed her eyes and then she felt his lips brush against hers and then-

"Oh, sorry about that," a voice said and Hermione and Draco's heads shot up. "I didn't know anyone was out here already. We'll just go somewhere else," Harry Potter said and his hand was laced in Pansy Parkinson's fingers.

"Harry?" Hermione replied, startled.

"Hermione? Who's that with you? That's not bloody Draco Malfoy is it?"

Review!?

Happy birthday to the Guest reviewer whose birthday it was! I love all the houses at Hogwarts, but it was fun to get sorted :P I figured I'd either be in Ravenclaw or in Slytherin though lol I'm afraid of heights, so I think the dungeons are a better fit for me ;) Thank you all for the reviews, I love reading them and they inspire me to keep on plugging away at this story. The next chapters may be a bit slower to put up, only because up till now, this story is unbeta-ed and I really want to have my beta look at my chapters.


	5. Dragons & Owls

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Five

"Sod off Potter," Draco spat.

"Hermione, a word?"

"Harry, it's not what it looks like. Dra—Malfoy and I were just working on a project that required us to view the constellations. There's no better place than the astronomy tower for that, right?," she lied.

"No," Draco piped in.

"Yes, tell him Malfoy." She nudged the blond and he glared at her with cold, gray eyes.

"Excuse me, but I think I have enough research," he narrowed his eyes on Hermione, "For our _project_." he then looked down his nose at Harry and Pansy as he shoved past them. Hermione swallowed hard. That's when she turned her attention onto Pansy, who was standing silently at Harry's side.

"What were you doing up here with Pansy, Harry?"

"Same. We were working on a project together." _So that's the other pair that Professor Flitwick mentioned who were also searching for the looking glass,_ Hermione deduced.

It was three days since the fiasco on the astronomy tower when Harry Potter broke up their first kiss, and Hermione was being punished for it.

"Someone _silencio_ you Malfoy?" He ignored her though. Hermione blew a stray hair from her face and closed her book. After living in Gryffindor for so many years, she was used to doing her homework on the sofa in front of the fire. She peered across the room at the blond. He was slouched in a chair at one of the desks and his expensive, Italian loafers were propped up on the desk. Hermione was struck with the oddest notion upon seeing Malfoy doing something so normal like reading. Draco actually read and absorbed books! It sounded silly, but she was used to seeing Harry and Ron, who always had a disinterested, faraway look in their eyes when they were forced to study, yet Draco, well, he looked engaged and immersed in whatever he was reading. The common room was toasty, and Hermione removed her sweater and kicked off her shoes. She was wearing a pair of sweats and a white, camisole top that fit her just a little too tightly. She adjusted herself in her bra and smoothed her hand over her wild hair before she padded across the room to where Draco was sitting.

"Good book?" she was starved for his attentions, though she didn't want to admit that. "What's the name of it?" she asked. He leaned the book up in his lap so that she could view the title. _Merlin's Coven_ was the book. A novel. _He reads for fun, not just because he has to for school?_ Hermione was in love. Not literally of course, just figuratively she told herself. "Can you say something to me? It's been three days."

"I'm going to bed. Our first quidditch match is tomorrow." At that, he stood and brushed by her, taking no notice of Hermione. She frowned.

"Draco," she called out and he stopped in his tracks at the bottom of the staircase, though he didn't turn around. "I didn't want my friends to know, because I'm not sure myself what's going on between us. I'm a private person. I hope you can understand that." Her shoulders sagged when he continued up the stairs, never uttering a single word.

It was the first match up of quidditch season and the stands were packed with students, all wearing their House colors. All but Ravenclaw that is. Only Professor Flitwick, sat in the stands, sporting the blue and bronze eagle and waving his pudgy, little hands in the air with enthusiasm. Hermione put her hair back in a French braid and dawned her quidditch uniform.

"_Accio_ Nimbus two thousand," she called her broom to her but scrunched her nose up when nothing happened. "Accio broom," she said again in frustration as she stood at the portal ready to leave. "Damn it!" she cursed, just as Draco sauntered into the common room. He, of course looked dashing in his uniform, whereas Hermione looked like an idiot. The shoulders didn't fit her right, and her cape and robes were entirely too long. "Broom!" she screamed.

"Oh for shit sakes, Granger. Here," he said and he opened up the coat closet in the common room and passed her the aging broom.

The announcer called out their names and Draco looked at her. It was the first time that he'd looked at her in days. "Catch the quaffle and dodge the bludgers."

"Right, got it," she said taking mental notes. "Do you think we stand a chance of winning?"

"A chance? Eh," he bit out and Hermione gulped. They stepped out onto the field together and they made their way to the center of the pitch where Madame Hooch stood with the trunk of quidditch balls that were all struggling to break out of the case. Hermione took two steps forward and then she stepped on her cape and tripped, falling on her face. Draco's hand was there and she took it and he hauled her to her feet. "The Hufflepuff Chasers rather suck, but their beaters are good, so keep your eyes open. I'm going for the snitch," the blond said and Hermione nodded and then the game was on.

He was right, the Hufflepuff chasers weren't all that good. They had several free shots at the goal, all of which they missed, when Hermione had difficulties with her broom right out of the starting gate. It took her a full five minutes just to get to the place where she could even look like she was tending goal as the Ravenclaw Keeper. One, two then three goals got by her but the fourth and the fifth ones she deflected. She scanned the skies and Draco was way out in front of the Hufflepuff Seeker. They maybe had a chance after all, she thought to herself and she cheered for Malfoy to get it. Unfortunately for her, she didn't see the whizzing bludgers that were headed straight for her. The first one missed her head when she ducked at the last second, but then it came around and smashed into her broom, and there was a loud crack. She looked down in horror when she saw the splintered broom that was threatening to break apart into pieces, as four more goals were made and the Hufflepuff stands came alive. The second bludger, hit her in the gut and she tumbled backwards just as her broom came apart into two pieces. She was defending the highest hoop and the fall was a lot higher than she'd ever fallen before. She shrieked and then she was freefalling. She closed her eyes, and fear gripped her as the ground drew ever closer and then suddenly like a skydiver wearing a muggle parachute, Hermione was being hoisted up by the scruff of her neck and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Merlin, I owe you," she said when she looked up from her dangling position to see Draco hovering above her, his knuckles white from the tight grip he had on her. Just then, the scoreboard flashed, Hufflepuff two hundred twenty, Ravenclaw zero. The Hufflepuff Seeker had caught the game winning snitch.

"I'm sorry Draco. You would have had the snitch if you didn't have to stop to help me," Hermione said somberly when Draco landed them on the ground safely.

"That is a debt I intend to collect on," he said with a smirk and he slinked an arm around her shoulders. She laughed and she slid her arm around his waist as they made their way back to the castle. She'd just lost them the game and yet Malfoy didn't seem to be bothered by it, when he should have been upset. Harry and Ron would have been upset. She remembered when Gryffindor lost, and everyone, not just her friends were in a minor state of depression. Draco was a far better Seeker than both the Hufflepuff and the Gryffindor Seekers who had lost Harry Potter to Slytherin. He was competitive as hell, she'd seen Draco play many times as she watched from the stands and yet when he had his chance to catch the snitch, he instead turned and came to the aid of Hermione. In fact, he should have kept after it because had he done that then Ravenclaw would have been the victors. _Why didn't he?_ She asked herself.

"Why'd ya do it Malfoy?" Ron spat. Harry and Ron ran into them as they made their way through the courtyard. Draco stopped and pulled out his wand. Hermione had her finger on hers as well, just in case things turned ugly, which they had the propensity to do whenever Ron, Harry and Draco were in each others vicinity.

"What in the fuck are you babbling about Weasel?"

"You had the snitch. You could have reached out and plucked it from the air, but instead, you turned back for Hermione. I want to know why?" Harry said with gritted teeth.

"Why did I help out my fellow Ravenclaw teammate? Is that what you're bloody asking me? Piss off," Draco said and he shoved through the pair, thus pulling Hermione along with him.

"What's with the letting him put his arm around you shit, Hermione?" Ron said and Hermione spun around.

"Honestly, you're both my friends and I love you dearly, but what Malfoy did probably saved me from two broken legs, so if you care about me then you should be saying thanks to him, instead of accusing him," Hermione said in a huff and then she slid her arm around Draco's waist again as they trailed down the halls of Hogwarts, bound for the Ravenclaw common room. She caught the smirk that Draco shot Harry and Ron and she just rolled her eyes at the blond. _That git enjoys coming between me and my friends._

She was exhausted later that night as she slipped on her cotton nightgown and crawled into bed. Her arms were sore from quidditch, but she was thankful to Malfoy because her injuries could have been much more severe. She could have been lying in the hospital wing. After the quidditch match she and Malfoy had spent a leisurely hour together in front of the fire just talking. It was really nice. It was better than nice. Under that smirking, sneering, bigoted pureblood façade laid a man with goals and aspirations and hobbies and interests and Hermione had only touched on the surface of what those were. He kept things close to the vest but when Hermione brought up the subject of practical potions for the everyday witch and wizard, Draco became excited. They both had a lot of ideas about what was lacking in the wizarding world and they exchanged ideas. It was a stimulating conversation and she didn't have to dumb her words down in order to appeal to lesser studied students, like she did with Ron and Harry. It was a breath of fresh air.

A storm rolled in and heavy rains pounded the tin roof of her dorm. The sounds were ear deafening and she covered her ears. The rain never sounded that loud in the Gryffindor tower, but Ravenclaw was even higher up in the castle that Gryffindor had been and the pelting rain and winds were wicked strong as they howled through the castle. When a bolt of lightning cracked next to her window, that followed by a deep reverberating thunder that shook the walls of the dorm, Hermione shot up out of bed. She'd never liked storms, but on that night, being alone in the Ravenclaw dorms, she felt extra alone. It was one thing weathering a bad storm, safe and snug in her four poster bed in Gryffindor with Ginny Weasely and Lavender Brown snoring next to her, but quite another weathering one in Ravenclaw and all by her lonesome. She had visions of Spanky come to throttle her bum while black shadows danced on the walls. She raced down the stairs to the common room. She would spend the night there by the fire curled up on the couch, she told herself,but then she heard a rapping noise.

"Malfoy, is that you?" she called out, but when the blond never answered a fear began to set in. She raced up the spiral staircase as thunder boomed all around her and she flung the door to the boys dorms open and then gasped at what she saw.

It had silvery scales and golden eyes and horns, dear Merlin it had three ivory horns on its head and it was looking at her. When it snorted, a smoldering fire shot from its nostrils and Hermione stepped back, petrified.

"It's alright, Drago won't hurt you," Draco said and he held out his hand. Hermione tip toed around the massive beast that was shaking its massive wings off as water sprayed her bare legs. She held Draco's hand tightly and gaped at the sight. "You can't tell anybody. I've kept him a secret since our fourth year when I nicked one of the golden dragon eggs after the Triwizard Tournament."

"Draco, a drag-drag-dragon?" she said with quivering lips. "Are you bloody insane?"

"A Hungarian Horntail actually. He's still young though, so all of his horns haven't come in yet. His scales will darken over time too." Draco reached out and touched the snout of the fire breathing dragon and Hermione cowered behind him but then peeked around him when curiosity got the better of her. The dragon seemed to bend to Draco's hand, almost as if it enjoyed being pet by him. "He doesn't like the rain so I always let him into the castle to keep dry. I haven't seen him since last year. He's grown quite a bit, haven't you boy," he said with affection as he continued to pet the dragon.

"Draco, you can't have a dragon in the castle!"

The dragon snorted at that and Hermione backpedaled.

"Shh, don't tell him that," the blond said laying his pale finger to his lips. "He doesn't like to be told no." Draco pet the beast and then he lowered his hand to the floor as he crouched down and Hermione watched in awe as the Hungarian Horntail, in all its majesty, sporting a fifteen meter wingspan, laid down on the floor and closed its eyes.

"Merlin."

Draco turned to Hermione at that. "Did you want something Granger? Bit late to be out of bed."

"Oh, it's nothing," Hermione said, completely forgetting about the wicked storm outside, that is until it cracked again in her ear and the walls shook. "The storm. It's louder in Ravenclaw then it ever was in Gryffindor."

"Get in bed," Draco said and he climbed into his luxurious bed.

"What? No, I think you misunderstood."

"To sleep Granger. Come on."

The thought of spending the night alone didn't appeal to her at all, so she reluctantly crawled into bed with Draco and he curled an arm around her weary body. When the sleeping dragon snorted again Hermione jumped in fright.

"He's not going to hurt you, so there's no need to be afraid."

"Who says it's the dragon I fear?"

She placed her head on Draco's chest at that as her eyes fell closed. She awoke the next morning when sunlight streamed through the windows. She opened her eyes and was caught with the sight of the blond, wearing only his boxers, standing at the opened window of his room as he waved goodbye to Drago. "See ya' next time it rains," he called out and the dragon flapped its wings and flew high into the clouds.

"Is there anything else I don't know about you? Don't have any mountain trolls stashed under your bed do you?" Hermione said rolling over on her side and propping herself up on her elbow. It was Saturday and they didn't have any classes, so she yawned and stretched in a leisurely way.

"I have a toy box under my bed," he said sinisterly and he wagged his eyebrows. "Would you like to see it?" he asked as he pounced on the bed and pulled her over and on top of him.

"That's never going to happen," she playfully joked and then somehow she was straddling him. He was slick in his maneuver too, as he grabbed her wrists and pushed her up into the position that he desired. She could feel his hardening bulge as she sat over top of the blond, only the thin fabric of her panties and the silky fabric of his boxers were separating them. Draco's hands raked against her hips and then he pushed himself up, grinding his erection into her. It felt good, too good in fact and Hermione's heart began to race. He moved slowly, bucking his hips upwards and Hermione had to brace herself with her hands on his chest as he moved lasciviously in simulated lovemaking. "We should get to work on finding the looking glass."

"I'd rather stay right here Granger," he said, his voice deep and sexy. His purposeful hands roamed upwards and under her nightgown. She looked down and watched nervously, her throat dry and her pulse beginning to quicken. He lifted the nightgown all the way up and over her head and her breasts spilled out. He sat up and captured her in his arms. "You have pretty tits." He cupped each breast in his hands and then squeezed them together as his pink lips clamped down over each pebbled nipple. Hermione's head fell back as the sensations rocked her, the feel of his velvety tongue on her needy flesh made her swoon for more. He was licking and sucking and he dropped kisses over her neck and chin and Hermione knew this was it. She looked into his eyes, lustful and silvery like the scales on his dragon and she whispered to him.

"Kiss me."

"Mmm," he growled but then they were interrupted by a tapping sound at the window. They both turned to see a black owl with a letter in its beak. Draco turned back to her, trying to ignore it, but the owl tapped again and the moment was lost. "I'm sorry. That's my father's owl." A look of worry passed like a shadow over his face and Hermione politely excused herself from the room so that he could have some privacy. Reality smacked her in the face. _This is Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater and right hand man to Voldemort. Enemy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,_ her mind screamed out to her. _What in the hell do you think you're doing Hermione? Wake up and stop playing house with Malfoy. You have a job to do for Dumbledore._

Review!?

Authors note: So until my beta catches up on all the chapters I sent her (sorry MrsMalfoy288 you're awesome!) I will go ahead and keep updating unbetaed chapters, so you all won't have such a long time between updates. I hope that works for everybody. I write quickly. That quidditch scene reminded me of dodge ball haha! Gosh I hated that game. That was wicked cruel to make girls and guys play dodge ball together.


	6. Deathday Party Hall

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Six

Draco shuffled the sealed envelope between his fingers as he debated upon whether to open it or not. It was guaranteed to sour his mood. Finally, after much indecision, he tore open the letter and read.

_Draco,_

_We received word from that oaf of a buffoon, Albus Dumbledore, that you were sorted into Ravenclaw. It's a great travesty and an injustice that you should be placed in a house that was named after a thief and a loon. Now I know what the books say about Rowena Ravenclaw, but the Dark Lord assures me that she was nothing but a kleptomaniac, who in her thievery, gained notoriety, not because of her magical abilities, but because she pilfered magical artifacts from many ancient civilizations. That in itself is not so terribly bad, as it shows ingenuity, but losing them in her senility and not putting them to good use or passing them along to someone who could make use of them, say Salazar Slytherin, makes her a disgrace to the wizarding world. Even more disturbing than your loss in stature is that we hear that you must live with a Mudblood! Your mother would be mortified to hear of this, so I have not divulged this particular fact to Narcissa. Do not think I don't know you son, for I was young once. Take her as you may, like any Master would a slave or underling, then broom her quick. Under no circumstances will you taint our line. Hope this letter finds you well. We shall see you at Christmas, Draco._

_Lucius Malfoy_

The letter fell from his grasp where it landed on the floor. He leapt from the bed and made his way to the window where he stared out over the vast sweeping grounds of Hogwarts. He was furious inside at reading his Father's words. _Fuck, am I just like him? You know you want to fuck Hermione, you do! You are no different than that sadistic bastard you call Father_, his thoughts screamed out at him. _Broom her quick_. _Don't taint our line_. _Mudblood, Mudblood,Mudblood_, he heard his own self say to Hermione over and over again. He clutched his head and grimaced as a wave of guilt washed over him. In just a few short weeks something had changed in him. He didn't know when it started, he only knew that it had. _Quidditch. Why did you do that? _He asked himself. His mind was traveling at breakneck speeds as he was once again flying high over the Quidditch pitch, hard after the snitch. _He slammed into the Hufflepuff Seeker and gave the bloke a hard jab to the ribs with his elbow, for good measure. The Seeker doubled over and Draco shot off after the golden ball with wings. It was all a piece of cake for him. Hufflepuff was the weakest of the houses at Quidditch and he knew that Granger wanted a win. She wasn't used to losing, not after having that ponce of a four eyes, Harry Potter, who had a golden horseshoe up his arse when it came to catching the snitch. No, Hermione wanted to win and moreover, she expected to win. He saw it on her face before the match, when she'd asked him if they stood a chance. _

"_Better luck next time, Malfoy!" the Hufflepuff Seeker called out to him from behind, "Your Keeper was just smacked by a bludger. She's going down," he taunted. The snitch streamed through the air in front of him, but he was riding with the G forces and it would soon be within reach. "Come on Granger, just hold on a few more seconds," he said as he turned his attentions to the Ravenclaw goal. The Hufflepuffs were playing dirty as they surrounded Hermione like a buzzard waiting for its prey to succumb. Time and again they kept up with the bludgers and then her broom snapped. It wasn't her fault. Not even the best Keeper could dodge that many bludgers in a row. He didn't have time to consider his options as he leaned hard to the left on his broom and then darted downwards, with his heart in his throat. He worried he wouldn't make it. Her arms and legs were flailing in midair, as she plummeted to the ground. He never told her that while the pitch was bewitched during practices, it wasn't during actual matches. From that height, she could expect to sustain some heavy injuries. He leaned down low on the broom and the Firebolt shot off like white lightning. Relief washed over him when he caught the Granger girl by the scruff of the neck. His arm ached from the grip he had on her, but as he lowered her to the ground, he saw the dismay on her face at losing and he knew that he'd let her down. _When that fucking prick Harry Potter put the screws to him and asked him why he did it, he found that he didn't have an answer for him. It was a split second decision, and his actions surprised even him. "Fuck, she's no different than all the rest." _Then why did you catch her instead of the snitch?_ He raked a hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh and then he dressed. He trod down the spiral staircase that led to the Ravenclaw common room. _Pull yourself together, Draco. _She was wearing a skirt that fell down just above the knee. Her knee socks that he used to find so uptight and prissy, appeared different. Granger was wholesome, innocent and naïve. As smart as the muggle born witch was, and he had to admit that she was, there was no denying it, not when he sat next to her in damned near every class and he got to see her test grades, for all of that though, she was still a naïve virgin. What in the hell was she even doing with him? He was a Slytherin, a snake in the grass, put there to tempt her and tease her and make her submit to his whims of fancy. _No you're not. You're a Ravenclaw. The bloody hat was wrong. You were never a Slytherin. "_Malfoy? You want to talk about it? You know… the letter?" she said looking up from her book.

"No. It's just more of the same. Let's go work on that clue," he said staring into the chocolate puddles that were Hermione's trusting eyes.

"Well, I started thinking about the whole idea that the looking glass was hidden here at Hogwarts. It's seems to reason that it was probably put here by one of the four founders of the school." When she talked about the quest her eyes brightened and a smile as warm as a glass of butter beer blossomed out over her cheeks. He was barely listening to her, more caught up with admiring the witch that stood before him. Her spirit was contagious and when she was done with her enthusiastic roundup of all things looking glass, Draco found himself wanting to go on a hunt around the school. Not for Dumbledore though. He couldn't give a flying fuck about the old coot. He wanted to see the look on Granger's face when they found it, though a job at the Ministry sounded quite good too. If that ponce of a former Gryffindor, Harry Potter, ever actually got off his arse and did what the prophecy suggested, and actually killed Voldemort, then Draco was going to need all the friends that he could get, because Lucius was doing everything that he could to tarnish the family name. That rather went with the territory when Lucius decided to side with a nutters wizard who referred to himself as the Dark Lord. As the bushy haired brunette rambled on, Draco smiled at her and she blushed. "Where was I," Hermione scrunched her nose and threw her hand on her hip in a way that Draco found deliciously cute. "Oh yeah, so I started remembering how Professor Flitwick said that there was a reason that the two of us were given the clue."

"So you think that it was Rowena Ravenclaw who hid the looking glass and that's why Dumbledore went to Flitwick and why he came to us?"

"Yes, I mean it's just a theory. We don't have any proof to support it."

"Yeah we do. Something my father said, actually. Oh he didn't say it to be helpful in any way other than to gripe about me being put into Ravenclaw, but what he said may be useful to us."

"What did he say?" Hermione looked on eagerly.

"He mentioned that Rowena Ravenclaw was a hoarder of sorts. She was a collector of artifacts that came from ancient civilizations."

"Lemuria was an ancient civilization, Draco. I also think that Harry and Pansy may just be the other pair that Flitwick mentioned, or perhaps Ron, though it was Pansy that he was with on the astronomy tower."

"Did you ask him?"

"Merlin, no. Remember the Unbreakable Vow we took? I can't say anything to Harry, nor can he to me, if it's even him."

"Why are we standing here? Let's go."

"Where to?"

"Deathday Party Hall."

He took her hand in his, and together, they meandered the corridors of the castle. There were plenty of whispers too and Hermione tried to ignore the stares from the shocked student body upon seeing their public display of affection. Draco slammed a sixth year Slytherin student up against the wall as they passed by him, for seemingly no reason at all and Hermione shook her head.

"What? That twat was a nark. Rats me out all the time to his Daddy, who happens to be an associate of Lucius's."

"Will he tell him that he saw us together?"

"No, not if I keep reminding him that I'll cast an Unforgivable curse on him."

"Still, there are better ways than bullying him Draco," she chastised. "Unforgivable curses are strictly forbidden, hence the name."

"He called you Mudblood."

"Oh, then he deserved it."

"Yeah. Precisely my thought."

"So then if he called me that and he deserved to be slammed against a wall and threatened with an Unforgivable curse, then by deductive logic shouldn't _you_ also deserve the same?" Hermione smirked and kept walking when Draco stopped.

"You can try it Granger. Come on then, let's see what you got," he challenged and Hermione laughed but then she turned around and ran at him full force, knocking into him. He barely took a step backwards though and then he picked her up into his arms and pushed her up against the cool, castle wall. His lips were on her neck in a split second and his hand shot up and under her blouse. She moaned when he rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

"Mr. Malfoy! Take your hands off that girl," came the alarmed voice of Professor McGonagall.

"Now look what you did Granger," Malfoy smirked as he dropped his arms at his side and took a step back from Hermione.

"Did he hurt you, Miss Granger?" McGonagall scowled at Draco.

"No M'am. I sort of liked it."

"Excuse me?" McGonagall's mouth dropped open.

"What I mean to say is that it's a biological response. You see, I am attracted to his pheromones and he's attracted to mine so—"

"Be quiet Miss Granger!"

"Draco Malfoy, that's five points from Ravenclaw for lewd conduct." Hermione snickered under her breath when Draco swallowed hard, the thought of Spanky at the forefront of his mind was her best guess.

"But that's hardly fair. Granger was enjoying it. She admitted it to you. I wasn't the only one displaying lewd conduct."

"Now wait a minute…" Hermione shot back.

"Five points from Ravenclaw for Miss Granger not knowing how to keep quiet when someone else is being punished for an offense. Now off you go. Let that be a lesson."

"Prat," Hermione said and she gave Draco a playful sock in the arm.

"I think perhaps you should bed with me tonight. We could offer one another moral support when Spanky makes his rounds," Draco chuckled and Hermione broke into a fit of laughter as they continued down the corridor.

"Granger we need to turn back. I just remembered something." Draco stopped when they reached the dungeons. "The Deathday Party Hall isn't a good idea, not for you."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing really, just that you're a bit to innocent a sort to go to that particular place. We'll go to the Black Lake after dinner instead."

"Too innocent? You mean to say I'm too much of a prude don't you? No, we're going. Lead the way."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Draco took her hand and they made their way down the dungeon staircase. The walls seemed to move in on themselves the lower they got, and Hermione began to feel claustrophobic. She was about to suggest that they turn back when the room suddenly opened up into a large dungeon. There were chains shackled to the walls and black drapery, tables and jet black candles that flickered in the dim of the hall.

"This seems an odd place to snog."

"Eh, people don't exactly come here to snog, Granger. Rather, I should say that they don't _just_ snog, is a better way to put it."

"So what do they do then?"

"Merlin, you're naïve."

"They have sex. I get it. I'm not stupid. Just because I haven't done everything there is to do, doesn't mean I'm not aware of it. I read up on oral forms of pleasure, fellatio and—"

"Shh, no more talk like that. It takes the fun out of it," he said and he pulled her in for a hug. After he called her innocent she was determined to prove him wrong, within reason of course. She wasn't his Slytherin slag or his Hufflepuff bint, but she also wasn't as pristine as he seemed to think she was. She had desires and fantasies just like any other witch or wizard.

"So this is it? Now what?"

"Ah, no. Come on, stay close." He led them to the back of the Hall where a creepy, wall tapestry hung and then he whispered an incantation and the tapestry vanished, exposing what looked like a small cell or closet. There was a table and two chairs and in the center of the table laid a crystal ball, sort of the like the ones used in Divination, a class Hermione despised. She took her seat and Draco directed her to lay her palms flat out on the table and then when she was ready she should rub the magic ball.

"Draco?"

"It's alright Hermione. It's just a spell. Now think about what your heart desires and then rub the ball."

She closed her eyes, but her mind was a blank. She couldn't think of anything, except about the way Draco's hands in hers made her feel warm and safe. Suddenly, the room became filled with a white haze. She coughed and then suddenly the white smoke evaporated and her breath hitched in her throat.

"Where are we?" Hermione said and she felt an insatiable need to eat a strawberry. They found themselves standing on a lavish, hotel balcony with the view of the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. "Are you tasting strawberries, Draco?"

"Mmm, yes, dipped in chocolate."

"Champagne too," Hermione hiccuped and her head began to feel lightheaded. That's when they heard moans and Draco took her by the hand and opened the double doors of the patio as they entered the suite.

"Is that—" Hermione said when her mouth fell open.

"Us. Yeah," Draco said.

"Are we?"

"Having sex. Yeah, it's fucking hot Granger. This is your fantasy, the magic ball was bewitched."

"What is this place?" Hermione said dipping her fingers into a bowl of lush strawberries and dunking it in chocolate. Without thinking she fed it to Draco.

"Thank you dear," Draco said in reply.

"Why did you call me dear?"

"I don't know, what should I call you, honey?"

They both gulped.

"Draco, I think that's a wedding dress lying on the chair."

"Where I don't see it," Draco quipped as he cocked his head and watched himself on the bed in the suite where he hammered his bride with his hardened, jutting cock.

"Malfoy, look," Hermione waltzed over to her naked self who was making love to a very hot and very naked Draco Malfoy on the bed and she held her fantasy selves hand out. The couple never stopped their love making. "Look. These are wedding bands. Merlin, this is our honeymoon. I always wanted to go to Paris," she choked on a strawberry. When it dawned on her what her fantasy was, that she had brought them to, she wanted to bury her head in the sand like a flamingo. Draco didn't look any better either, as he resembled a corpse at that very moment, his skin a ghostly shade of pale.

"I don't think I feel so good," Draco said and he sat down on the marble floor with his head between his knees, hyperventilating. Suddenly the whitish haze was back and Hermione was coughing again. When she popped an eye open, she was once again sitting at the table with her palms out flat, face up only she was alone.

"Malfoy," she called out.

"I'm here," he said and he was sitting on the floor. Neither of them spoke as he led her out through the dungeons.

It was lunch time in the Great Hall and the Gryffindors were so loud that nobody could hear themselves think. Dumbledore had apparently figured out how to fix it so they were all fed proper portions of food and then they didn't have to behave like a pride of lions all fighting over the same wildebeest.

"I need to say something about what happened," Hermione said nervously as she bit into a celery stalk.

"Uh, you don't have to."

"No, no, I think I do," she held her hand up.

"Granger, its fine."

"No, it's really not. I feel just as disturbed by it as you do."

"You do?" he said surprised.

"Well yeah. I mean, look, I'm a virgin. There's no sense hiding it, besides I think you already gathered that." He gave her a knowing nod. "Yeah, uh, you know, suddenly you have a dragon, and then just as suddenly I'm sleeping with a man in his bed and then the touching and the spanking and…" Draco smiled arrogantly at that and Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You want me," he said and he slid his tongue over his bottom lip.

"You can be such an arrogant slag, Malfoy."

"Apparently _this_ slag gets you hot and bothered. Enough to want to marry me," he smirked.

"I do _not_ want to marry you," Hermione said a little too loudly and a few heads turned towards the Ravenclaw table.

"Shhh, I don't think the entire Great Hall heard you. Perhaps we should do it the proper way and order announcements, make it a grand affair. Honeymoon in Paris dear?" he chuckled. Hermione scrunched her nose and then threw a grape at him.

"That is_ so_ not funny, Malfoy. What was I supposed to fantasize about? What did the other girls you took there fantasize about?" Hermione said in hushed whispers.

"I dunno really. The only one I took there was Astoria Greengrass."

Hermione cringed. "_Before_ she got rid of the hunchback or _after_?"

"After, of course. I do have standards, really Granger," he feigned being wounded but Hermione wasn't buying the act and eventually he smirked.

"Well what did Astoria fantasize about?"

"It was a bloody nightmare. We were in Egypt, riding on camels and she was looking for her lost hunch. Apparently her father told her that when they removed it." Hermione began to laugh. "Seriously, he told Astoria that some unfortunate camel without a hump received one from her."

"Merlin, you're cruel. That is so mean Draco," Hermione said but she couldn't contain the giggles as she picked up another grape and whizzed it at the blond. Draco, in turn, scooped up a globule of cottage cheese on his spoon and flung it at Hermione. It hit her square on the cheek and Hermione's eyes went wide before she reached over for the rice pudding and splattered it against Draco's shirt. Before they knew it, they were in a full on food fight, their shirts, faces and robes were covered with muck.

"You looked beautiful _out_ of your wedding gown. I liked your hair that way too," Draco said covered with pudding.

"Thanks," she blushed, though the cottage cheese and apple strudel hid it from view. "You looked really handsome too." Their eyes met and then Draco leaned over the table and Hermione followed suit. Draco's arm shot forward and he cupped his hand behind her neck and pulled her into him. _He's the son of a Death Eater, you can't fall for him_. _Steel yourself Hermione._ Her heart said otherwise though, when the blond's lips crashed down over hers and he gave her a slow, sensual, burning kiss. It was passionate and warm as he plundered her mouth with sweet abandon. When his tongue sought entrance she parted her lips and he deepened their kiss. She had only kissed one boy before, Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker, and while it was a curious experience, it was nothing like kissing Draco Malfoy. With their tongues entwined, he was roving and pillaging her mouth, making love to her with his kiss. If they gave out O.W.L.S for kissing, then Draco Malfoy would have received an Outstanding. He finally tore his mouth away from hers in a state of breathlessness and then he laid his forehead against hers. "What are you doing to me Granger?"

"I think the better question is what are we going to do to _you_ Malfoy?" Harry Potter said with gritted teeth and a tight grip on his wand. He was flanked by a red faced and steaming, Ron Weasley.

Review!? Thank you so very much for the kind reviews. It's great to see all the new faces along with the old enjoying this story!


	7. Sectumsempra

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Seven

"You and me, right now, outside," Harry Potter said and he was furious.

"I've been waiting for this for years, Potter," Draco spat and both men left through the doors of the Great Hall. Hermione turned to follow, but Ron gripped her by the shoulder and spun her around.

"You let that slimy Ferret kiss you? Have you gone daft since you were sorted into Ravenclaw?"

"Ron it's truly none of your business."

"Not my bloody business? Not my bloody business?" he repeated indignantly. "I was going to wait until next week when we were at the Burrow to ask you this, but I think I should do it now." At that, Ron knelt on the floor of the Great Hall and took Hermione by the hand. She was covered in food and muck and all she wanted to do was run after Draco and Harry. Harry had a positively morose expression on his face and she worried for Draco's safety.

"Ron, this really isn't a good time. You need to let me go."

"Hermione, I've always cared for you and after this school year I'd like you to be my wife. Will you marry me?"

Hermione's mouth fell open when Ron pulled out a ruby and gold ring and slid it onto her finger.

"Well aren't you going to say anything?" Ron asked with a hopeful expression.

"Uh," Hermione searched for her words. "Thanks?"

"Is that a yes?" the whole Hall was silent as they all waited with bated breath for her to respond.

"Do you care for me Hermione?"

"Of course I care for you Ronald that goes without question."

"Then it's a yes," Ron said with a smile and then he threw joyous arms around her, but Hermione froze on the spot.

"Ron—"

"She said yes, everyone!" he said and he threw his arms in the air and the whole Hall began to cheer for the happy couple. All but Hermione that is, who turned and bolted from the Hall. She did a frantic search of the castle and she even ran outside, but she couldn't find either Harry or Draco, which gave her great cause for worry. Reluctantly, after an exhausted search where she came up short at every turn, she returned to the Ravenclaw common room in hopes that Draco would be there. When he wasn't, she made her way to the showers. Once refreshed and clean, she twisted her hair into a bun and piled it atop her head, leaving only a few tendrils of chestnut brown hanging loose as it framed her face. Draco had commented that he liked her hair that way, the way her fantasy self in Paris had worn it, so with time to kill as she waited for the blond, she caught up on her studies.

Hermione yawned and closed her Potions book, beat tired and ready for bed, but she was startled when finally Draco appeared through the portal.

"Oh Merlin, thank the Gods you're alright. I was worried sick about you. Harry looked so angry and then when I couldn't find you—" Draco ignored her though as he sauntered up the spiral staircase and then entered the showers. "Draco?" she knocked on the door and when there was no answer she tried the knob. It was locked.

"Alohomora," she chanted and the door creaked open. The room was filled with steam as she made her way down to where a lone shower sprayed hot steam into the air. "You want some company? You wash my back and I'll wash yours," she flirted.

"I'm really tired Granger. I have to catch the early train in the morning for the Manor. I'll just see you after the holidays. Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas? But what about Spanky? You invited me to sleep with you in your bed tonight. Remember?" She pulled the shower curtain back and was met with a vision of masculine beauty. Draco's eyes were closed and he had an almost angelic look about him as he ran his hands through his hair, washing out all remnants of the rice pudding that she'd doused him with at dinner just prior to them sharing a smoldering first kiss. Water beaded on the blond's chest and abs and she watched as the droplets cascaded down his fit, lean frame. She felt butterflies in her stomach when she gazed at him.

"Can I get some privacy?" he said rudely and he turned away from her as he rinsed the soap off his back.

"So sorry to have bothered you, Malfoy," Hermione said in a wounded manner.

"It's alright, Mudblood. See ya' in a fortnight."

"Mudblood? We're back to that are we? Do I need to remind you that you just snogged me silly in front of the whole school only two hours ago?"

"Yeah, that was a mistake."

"A mistake?" her eyes misted over and a tear trailed down her cheek which she quickly wiped away. "I thought it was a mistake when Ron asked me to marry him tonight, but maybe the mistake was me not saying yes to him."  
"If you run along, perhaps you can catch up to the Weasel. Now piss off Granger," Draco sneered and then he threw the shower curtain closed. Tears burst from her eyes. "Perhaps you can force out a few babies with the Weasel and have yourself a whole brood of Weaselbloods'," he laughed callously and Hermione ran from the showers in a state of hysterics.

#####

Hermione always looked forward to Christmas at the Burrow, but when she arrived there, after spending a few days with her Mum and Dad in London, she was feeling a trifle bit ill at ease. She still owed Ron a proper answer to his proposal and she was no closer to making a decision than she had been when he'd popped the question. Originally her answer would have been a resounding no, but that was before Draco chucked her so cruelly. Now, though she had to consider Ron's intentions. They'd always been close and she had for a time been infatuated with the redhead, but then Draco was thrown into the mix and she was sidetracked.

"Hermione, can I take your coat?" Ron said with a cheerful smile when he answered the door and ushered Hermione into the bustling Weasley home. "You're a sight for sore eyes," he said and he gave her a light peck on the cheek.

"Is Harry here?" she asked eagerly. She'd been simply dying to talk to him in order to ask him what happened between he and Draco that night. She had suspicions that something went down between Harry and Draco, a something that influenced Draco's decision to cast her off like she was nothing.

"Yeah, he's out back horsing around with Ginny. I think they're playing Quidditch."

"Thanks Ron," Hermione smiled. "I want to talk to you after a while, alright?"

"Sure babe," he said and Hermione was caught off guard with the pet name. It felt awkward to her, but she dismissed it out of hand. They had been friends for such a long time that it was going to be awkward in taking their relationship to the next level.

"Harry, Happy Christmas," she waved to the raven haired man who was perched on his broomstick and hovering in midair. "Can I have a word with you? Alone?" she said and she smiled up at Ginny, who seemed to take the hint because after she exchanged pleasantries she then left them alone together.

"What's up 'Mione? There's something different about you but I dunno' what it is."

"Oh, it's my hair that's all. I thought I'd try a new style."

"It's nice," he complimented.

She didn't know how to bring it up, so rather than pussyfooting around the situation, she just blurted it out.

"Do you know why Malfoy chucked me?"

"Yeah, and so do you," Harry said with a frown.

"No Harry, I don't. That's why I'm asking you. What happened that night when you both left the Great Hall?"

"Ah, we are to that are we? Hermione listen, Malfoy and I got into a wand fight. He even got me pretty good with a nasty hex that made me vomit for three days straight. Mrs. Weasley had a potion though to ease the sickness and now I feel better. Thank Merlin. Anyways, after we got that out of our system and I was able to disarm him of his wand, we chatted for a bit."

"You and Malfoy chatted?" Hermione found that nearly impossible to believe.

"Yeah, I mean I know what you think, but we did. I told him that I didn't approve of the way he was using you to get into your knickers, and he told me that he was going to become a Death Eater and that he knew there was no future for either of you as a couple."

"He said that he's going to join the Death Eaters?"

"Yeah, I mean pretty much. Right out of his own mouth Hermione."

"I don't believe it."

"Why? He's always been a snotty, rich, racist, arsehole, Hermione. I don't know how he fooled you the way that he did. He's dangerous though, so I'm right glad that you've come to your senses. Now Ron, there's an upstanding chap if I've ever seen one, and he loves you Hermione. Might I suggest that you steer clear from the likes of Malfoy and concentrate your efforts on Ron?"

"Harry, no offense, but you had no right to meddle in my personal life. I love you like a brother, but what Draco and I did was none of your business. That being said, I was wrong about him and I feel like a fool Harry." Hermione began to cry at that and Harry looped an arm around her for comfort.

####

An hour later as she lay on Ron's bed with her arms wrapped tight around his neck, Hermione closed her eyes when she felt his lips brush against hers. His kiss was sloppy and inexperienced, nothing like her kiss with Draco, a kiss that was pure, unadulterated fire. She wished that she'd never even kissed the blond, because had she not done that, then she wouldn't even know that Ron was a lousy kisser. Hell, she probably would have even enjoyed kissing him, but such as it was, she could only compare the experiences of kissing the player and slag, Draco Malfoy, and kissing the noble, good man that Ron Weasley was. It sucked. She wanted to like it. In the end, she asked Ron for more time to think about his proposal of marriage. He had said yes, on the condition that while she was thinking about her answer that she should wear his ring. It seemed fair, so Hermione slipped the ring onto her left hand, ring finger and there it would stay. With still a week left before the holidays ended, and that sticky situation out of the way, Hermione looked forward to visiting at the Weasleys while she caught up on some light reading. She hoped that by the time the new term started she would have Malfoy completely out of her system. A girl could hope anyway.

####

"Draco wake up," the blond heard and then someone was shaking him. "You must wake up. Time is short and we need to leave this place at once before Lucius comes back." Draco opened his eyes and slowly the blur that was his vision started to become less fuzzy. Severus Snape was hovering over him and he wore a worried look upon his face. "Can you stand?" he asked and Draco shook his head as the events of the evening came back to him with rushing force.

"I'm so sorry my sweet Draco," his mother wept. "Please take him away from here and never bring him back Severus. You must promise me that you will keep him safe," Narcissa sobbed.

"He will be safe at Hogwarts. The security wards will protect him. After that though, I don't know, but I will figure something out." Draco hugged his mother goodbye and took one last, lingering look at Malfoy Manor before Severus apparrated them away.

Dumbledore arranged several portkeys in order to sneak Draco out and Draco was thankful for that. He should have been dead and he knew that. If it hadn't been for his mother and Professor Snape, then Draco surely would have bled out right then and there, on the cold, stone floor of Malfoy Manor. "The new term starts in a week. Drink one of these healing potions per day for seven days and don't miss not a one Draco. _Sectumsempra_ is a nasty curse. I'd like nothing more than to use an Unforgivable curse on your father for doing this to you. He meant to kill you Draco, but aside from a few scars you should make a complete recovery."

"Thank you Severus. I don't know how to thank you." Snape nodded and gave him a pitiful look before he turned and left the Ravenclaw common room. Draco was weak and he didn't think that he could make it up the stairs, so he sprawled out on the sofa and turned his gaze upwards to the bewitched dome sky above him where one of the stars that made up the Cassiopeia constellation twinkled brightly in the bewitched night sky. Everywhere he looked he was reminded of Hermione and tears formed in his eyes as he thought about the witch that he knew he loved. He would have to see her again in just short of a week, and he would remember the hurt he saw on her face through the steam of the showers and he knew that it would haunt him for the rest of his life. She would always be the witch that he gave his heart to and then hurt her in the cruelest of ways. He was good at that, being cruel, and he hated himself for that fact. He was weary and his heart literally ached for the girl whose eyes reminded him of warm chestnuts by a roaring fire on a cold winter's day.

_Her lips were as soft and as sweet as marshmallows. He knew in that moment that he wanted to kiss her forever and that he didn't care who knew it as his need for her welled inside him. He imagined himself making love to the witch, on the very bed in the suite in Paris, and he put all of that dripping desire for Hermione into his kiss. He wanted her to feel him, all of him, as he plundered her mouth._

"_Expelliarmus!" Harry Potter shouted and Draco's wand flew from his hands. "Tell me why Hermione? Is it to get at me? It is isn't it?" Draco was crouching on the dew sodden ground, defenseless, and Harry had him under wand's point._

"_Fuck you Potter. It's none of your damn business!" he seethed._

"_It is when there is a rapist living with my best mate in the Ravenclaw tower," Harry said angrily._

"_What in the fuck are you talking about?"_

"_You know what I'm talking about, Malfoy. Pansy. She told me everything, and she showed me what you did to her you sick, demented monster."_

"_He's telling the truth Draco, I did. I won't keep your secret anymore and when Harry tells Dumbledore what you are, you will be chucked from this school so fast that— Well pretty fast," the stupid bint said when she couldn't come up with an intelligent retort. "You beat me and raped me and then you put your mark on me and you told me that I was just a good for nothing slag." Harry was glaring him, actually believing every fucking lie that spewed from Pansy's festering hole of a mouth._

"_I never raped you Pansy. You spread your legs freely for every bloke in Slytherin who could get it up!"_

"_She has proof Malfoy," Harry bit out. "Show him Pansy." She lifted her skirt to reveal the letter M that had been burned into the flesh of her inner thigh, only inches from her nether region._

"_Looks exactly like the M on your family crest ring Malfoy," Harry quipped. "I've never seen you without it in fact."_

_Draco looked down at the black onyx ring with the crest of a dragon and the sterling silver, letter M that was engraved on it and he shuddered when he realized that Potter was right. But there was just one problem with the pretty, little picture that Pansy was painting, and that the gullible Saint Potter was swallowing like a noxious poison and that was that he never bloody raped Pansy Parkinson! He was into kinky things, sure, that went without saying, but he definitely wasn't into burning or marking his women. That was sick, that was the type of revolting sexual play that a Death Eater would enjoy._

"_Potter she's lying. I swear to you that this is a trick. She's working for the Dark Lord. I don't know how that M came to be on her leg."_

"_No, she's not. Pansy loves me," Harry shot back._

"_Don't confuse her sucking your dick with love, Potter. She's a Slytherin and her father is a Death Eater." That seemed to be a revelation to the Golden Boy That Lived and the look of betrayal showed itself in the form of a stunned expression. "I never bloody raped her."_

"_No. Everyone knows that you're into some whacky stuff in the bedroom. I've heard the rumors about you. Did you plan to rape Hermione too? That little show in the Great Hall was pretty stupid if that's what your intentions are. If she ever comes up with bruises or Merlin forbid, worse, from your sick, twisted games, everyone will know exactly who to point the finger at after you molested her in the Great Hall in front of hundreds of witnesses."_

"_Rape Hermione? You're a fucking stupid fool Potter. I'm in love with Hermione and I think she's in love with me too. I'd never hurt her."_

"_Tell it to someone who believes your lies, but don't tell it to me. I'm going to Dumbledore with this and then you will be chucked out of school and you can run off and join your Lord, until I kill all of you lot that is, and I promise that I will."_

"_I'll be a Death Eater," Draco said, defeated. "If I leave, he will force me Potter. Don't believe Pansy. I'll be a Death Eater Potter," he said again and he buried his head in his arm._

"_I don't know what to believe, but I know that you will only cause hurt on Hermione. You do know that the two of you can never have anything together don't you? If you love her, as you say that you do, then you have to protect her from Voldemort. We both know what he does to muggles and muggle-borns."_

_Draco nodded. "I will."_

_Harry Potter sighed and lowered his wand. "Then when I see you chuck Hermione, then I'll know that you were telling the truth and I won't go to Dumbledore."_

"_Harry, but you said you believed me—" Pansy said._

"_I don't know what to believe anymore, so just shut it Pansy," Harry said and Draco watched as he marched away._

_He knew what he had to do, but he didn't think he had the stomach for it. _

_###_

It had been two weeks since Lucius cast the wicked curse on his only son, and as Snape predicted, he was back to his normal self. Of course, the scars from the incident would always be there, but Snape assured him that over time they would fade. Draco busied himself with his studies and when he got the chance, he would make his usual rounds of all the favored make out places within the school, in hopes that he would find the looking glass and he'd be able to surprise Hermione with it. He owed her that much at least. Hermione hadn't even so much as looked at him since she'd been back. At meals, she avoided him like the plague as she ate at the other end of the Ravenclaw table, usually with her nose in a book. Word spread around the school that Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were engaged and Draco had to put on his cool, Malfoy exterior in order to stop himself from hexing the Weasel into oblivion. It was bad enough that Hermione had taken off the sapphire, birthstone ring that Draco liked, and had replaced it with a cheap, dime store piece of shit, ruby ring that the no good Gryffindor idiot had given her, and moreover that Draco had to look at the fucking thing. Every time he saw that blasted engagement ring he was reminded of how bloody unfair it was that he'd lost her.

He and Hermione, during the brief time that they were friends and more, had never bothered to check out the Black Lake, so, not wanting to sit in the common room and feel the daggers that Hermione was sending at him from across the room, he decided to take an evening stroll around the lake with hopes of miraculously stumbling upon the lost looking glass.

"No, really, I don't want to do that Ronald," he heard her voice and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hermione, it's alright, stop fighting me. We're going to be married soon and I love you. This is what two people who loves eachother do to express those feelings."

"No, I don't feel comfortable. Ron, please, I said stop!"

_Fuck, he's hurting her_, Draco said to himself and he ran down the embankment to where he saw two figures, silhouetted against the moon's silvery reflection on the lake. Hermione was struggling against the redhead and without a second though, Draco took out his wand. "Stupefy!" he chanted and the Weasel was thrown backwards.

"Ron!" Hermione screamed and she scurried to his side. Draco stood there with his wand still pointed at the stupid Gryffindor. It would be all too easy to utter the killing curse and then he'd never have to see the stupid Weasel forcing himself on Hermione again. _His Hermione_.

"Draco? Is that you?" she said, and he froze for a moment before he quickly turned on his expensive loafers and paced back to the castle. He wandered about the halls, not wanting to go back to the common room. Not wanting to face her. She would be there and she would have questions for him. He'd blown his cover and Granger was too smart not know that something was awry. She would ask him why he did it and he didn't know if he could lie to her. It was well after midnight by the time he worked up the courage to go back to Ravenclaw. Draco was relieved when he found the common room empty. He shucked his robes and was about to make his way upstairs to bed when she spoke.

"Why did you do it?"

He spun around to see Granger, with narrowed eyes on him and wearing her prissy, cotton nightgown as she stretched out on the couch before the roaring fire. Her arms were folded and her expression was marred by a deep scowl.

"I was in the library. No clue what you're babbling about, Mudblood," he lied.

"Rubbish. You couldn't stand to see Ron's hands on me, could you? Why?"

"If you want that fucking Weasel's slobbering lips, ruddy mitts, or anything else of his on you, then by all means have at it. It doesn't concern me in the least."

"Liar. You love me, don't you? So why did you chuck me then?" Draco's eyes fell closed and he gulped. He couldn't do it twice, not a second time, the first time was bad enough. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me." The smell of jasmine wafted in the air and he knew that Granger was close. He opened his eyes and the feisty witch was standing in front of him staring up at him with warm puddles for eyes. She moved her hands to his chest where she slowly began to unbutton his shirt.

"Don't," he said and he put his hand over hers to stop her, but she shrugged his hand off, her fiery gaze glued to his eyes as she continued to unbutton his shirt. When it was all the way unbuttoned she pushed it off his shoulders and his shirt fell to the floor. Draco stiffened when her eyes moved down his body. He saw the shock on her face when she saw the slash marks that marred his chest. The skin was raw and red, though Snape promised that eventually they would fade and turn a silvery shade of pale. He readied himself for an onslaught of questions from the brainy witch, but he was shocked when she instead ran her fingers over his wounds and then she brushed her lips against each mark.

"I'm in love with you. I can't marry Ron. Even if you hate me Draco, I love you." Draco's heart raced upon hearing her declaration of love. he didn't deserve it, not in the least. She turned to leave and he couldn't let her go. He didn't want her to go, so he reached out and gripped her arm.

"I'm going to make love to you now Hermione." Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and when he held his arms open for her she leapt into them as she wound her legs around his middle. If he was having a dream then he never, ever wanted to wake up.

Review!?

_Authors note: Hope you enjoyed, let me know! Sorry for the little bit of angst in this chapter, but I have to tell the story as I see it. I like to write fanfiction as a way to get the creative juices flowing before I start on an original story(It's also a guilty pleasure lol), so I will continue to update this story, but I am also working on an ebook that I have an awesome cover for, so I intend to bang out both stories, but I don't know if I will be able to give you all a chapter a day like I have been doing. We will see though. ;)Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing!_


	8. The Black Book

The Ravenclaw Affair

*Lemons Warning

Chapter Eight

The witch was on fire as she dropped butterfly kisses over his jaw and neck. He lowered them to the sofa and her roaming hands wandered over his abs with frantic need as she unfastened the buckle on his trousers. She slid her hands down his legs, pulling him against her. She'd missed him so much over the Christmas holidays and then they'd been so distant to one another. All she wanted to do was feel him inside her, close, loving on her the way she needed him to do. He laid waste to her clothes as he tore her nightgown away from her body and then they petted and pawed at one another, all with a great sense of urgency. She felt ready, although she was a bundle of nerves, but his kisses were molten and they ignited a fire in her.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked as and he ground his hardness against the neatly trimmed mound of pubic hair in her nether region.

"Yes Draco, I want this. I want you," she murmured and a wave of confidence engulfed her when she looked into his eyes. For the first time in her life she was finally able to step out of her head. How many nights she'd sat in the library reading up on the mating rituals of witches and wizards, hell, she even read up on how veelas and giants and mer people, consummated their unions, all the while wondering if she would ever find a man that could make the sex that she found in books and literature literally spring off the page and become a reality in her life. If she couldn't find that special wizard, then she would live her life alone with her cat, maybe several cats. It all changed when Malfoy swooped in, with his arrogant attitude and his crude mouth and his drop-dead sexy self. His lips latched onto her nipple and Hermione moaned.

"I want to taste you," he purred and then he slid down her body, kissing as he went. When he parted her legs and she felt his warm breath on her most private of places, satisfying chills ricocheted through her body.

"I—I don't know about this—"

"I do," he said and she could almost hear the smirk that she knew was playing over his face, but then his hot tongue was on her and she was climbing the walls. He lapped at her essence and her legs went rigid as the first wave of euphoria hit her like the Knight Bus and she melted. Her legs went limp and then he was sucking, licking and the tip of his finger was probing her entrance.

"Draco—Take me now," she begged, the sensations too much for her as her climax rained down on her like a hurricane of love.

"May hurt at first," he warned. She nodded and then he rose up onto her and pulled her into his chest. His hard body crashed against her, his hands raking down her inner thighs as he positioned himself between her legs. She felt the tip of his love muscle at her cave and she sucked in her breath when she felt him push past her barrier. His entrance was swift, but his eyes held her in safety as he slowly rocked his hips into her. It burned and she felt like she was being split wide open. He was well endowed, something she read she would come to appreciate in later days, but at that moment she felt impaled and as if sensing her fear, he pulled back. "I can stop if it's too much. Merlin, you're so tight, so right." His own aching need was evident and on hearing his words Hermione gathered her courage and urged him on. In and out, he rolled his hips into her and as the burning subsided, she began to relish the new sensations that his throbbing manhood inside her brought her. "I love you," he whispered and tears sprang from her eyes. He reached up and laced his fingers in hers and then he was pumping his love into her, thrusting inside her, burying his length deep in her welcoming body. His breaths were ragged in her ear and she wrapped her legs tight around his hips, wanting to feel their closeness forever. The friction against her swollen bud, combined with the driving force of his cock so deep inside her, sent her over the edge and she imagined herself floating through the domed ceiling of the common room.

"Fuck, you're beautiful," he said and his rhythm increased to a frantic pace and then he let out a deep, guttural moan before he collapsed over top of her. "Granger, why are you crying? Did I hurt you?"

"No," she said and she wiped the salty tears from her face and smiled up at him. He moved off of her and then cradled her in an embrace on the couch in the common room. "I'm happy, that's all. That was—"

"Amazing," he said and his eyes closed. She nuzzled her head in his neck and then sleep found them.

She showered and dressed, all with a permanent smile plastered to her face. It was a beautiful, winter morning, even though it was cold and gray outside, nothing could bring her down from her cloud. Nothing that is, until Draco spoke.

"Don't forget to take the Old Shoe Elixir." When Hermione looked at him with a blank stare Draco elaborated. "It's a contraception potion. I'm a pureblood, so you should probably take two just to be sure."

"What?" she said and her mouth fell open. "I don't have that sort of potion just lying around and what does you being a pureblood have to do with anything?" she asked as Draco pulled on his robes and gathered his book bag.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," Draco quipped and he gave Hermione a bear hug. "I've been told, since the time I was old enough to get a stiffy, that I will need to be extra careful because a pureblood wizard's swimmers, have a little extra kick to them then a regular wizard, that's all. Better to be safe than sorry."

"Sorry?" Hermione said and she scowled. "Are you sorry for what we did?"

"No, that's not what I meant." He gave her a reassuring kiss on the lips at that. "I want to pound you silly Granger," he winked.

"Alright," her face softened.

"Let's hit up the hospital wing before we go to breakfast. There's a time limit to these potions. You have to take it within six hours after sex."

"We can't," Hermione said, "It's Monday, and Madam Pomfrey won't be there."

"Ah, that's right, it's the Hufflepuffs' day on the Quidditch pitch and there has to be a healer on hand at every practice."

"Great. So I'm going to get knocked up," Hermione huffed. "I do it one time, and now, because I had to do it with a pureblood, I'm going to pay for it."

"Ouch."

"Paybacks for calling me Mudblood for so many years? Draco that is a bunch of silly nonsense that a pureblood witch or wizard is more fertile than a Halfblood or a Muggle-born," Hermione shook her head.

"Alright, point taken. You're not going to get knocked up," Draco soothed her. "I will just break into the hospital wing. Go to breakfast. I'll get you the elixir." He smacked her in the arse at that and winked.

"Alright, but I expect you to tell me who hit you with that nasty curse at some point." Draco's face fell and became dark and gloomy upon her words, and when it did, she felt the pangs of his anguish. Whatever happened, they would get through it together.

When he didn't show up to breakfast Hermione began to worry. Contraception elixirs had a six hour window and she was already on hour five since they'd consummated their budding, new relationship.

"I heard about you and Ron. I'm sorry it didn't work out Hermione," Ginny said and she sat down next to Hermione at the Ravenclaw table.

"Yeah, it just wasn't meant to be. I told him that I'd like to remain friends, but by the way he's glaring at me, I don't know if that will be possible." Hermione craned her neck to see a red-faced Ron staring daggers at her. "Ginny, you don't happen to have any Old Shoe elixir, do you?" she whispered under her breath.

"Oh, uh. No, Hermione. I wouldn't need that stuff."

"But you and Dean Thomas. I just assumed…?"

"Merlin, Hermione what do I look like, a slag? I mean I've done some stuff, yeah, but not that. I'm saving myself for my husband. I thought it would be Harry, but look at him," Ginny motioned to the Slytherin table where Harry was laughing and joking with Millicent Bulstrode and Blaise Zabini. Pansy however was sulking by herself and seated at the end of the table in the Great Hall. "He's all snaky, Slytherin now. He's talking parseltongue a lot lately too. I also heard that he shagged Pansy Parkinson, that no good trollup. That's who you should ask for the elixir. She's the only one I know in this school who has gone all the way."

Hermione gulped.

"Merlin, Hermione," Ginny said and she covered her mouth. It was as if she had suddenly just realized why Hermione needed the contraception elixir. "You and Malfoy?"

"No! I just needed the potion for a project I'm working on in Care of Magical Creatures. It's a study on Cornish pixies and their breeding habits. They're such a nuisance, so the Professor asked me to help her whip up a contraception elixir that works on pixies," she fumbled for her words, making up something ridiculous and off the top of her head. She waited to see if Ginny would buy her lie and then she patted herself on the back when she did.

It was thirty minutes later, as her quill moved by its own volition, taking notes for her in Advanced Arithmancy, when Draco finally arrived back. She looked at the clock on the wall and then looked at him with pleading eyes. They only had five minutes left on that six hour window. Relief washed over her when the blond passed by her desk and laid two bottles of the elixir down in front of her. She uncapped one of the pink bottles and then swallowed the revolting tasting elixir down. It tasted like an old, worn out shoe and she wanted to vomit as it slid down her throat.

"Feel better now that you know there isn't a baby Malfoy bun in the oven?" Draco laughed and he pinched her bum on the way to their next class. "Hospital wing didn't have any stock of the elixir, so I had to go to Professor Snape."

"You didn't!"

"Yeah, I did. What choice did I have?"

"Merlin, he knows we did _it_?"

"Yes, Granger. I had to tell him why I needed it, didn't I?"

"Gods, I don't even want to go to that class now."

Hermione would have paid any amount of money to have an Invisibility cloak right at that moment. Any amount. She slipped into Professor Snape's Potions classroom with her head held low and she took her seat. Draco, however, didn't seem bothered at all, as he chatted with Blaise Zabini about Quidditch. She opened her book and dropped her eyes when Snape walked briskly into the classroom.

"Today we're going to deviate from the syllabus. I want you all to copy the blackboard. Word for word. We will be brewing the Old Shoe Elixir today," Snape said and Hermione felt a lump in her throat. Snape was glaring at her and smirking when she looked up. She quickly copied the recipe for the potion down. "Show of hands, on who can tell us what the Old Shoe Elixir is?" It was the first time that Hermione's hand did not shoot up immediately into the air. She instead, sunk down in her chair. "Miss Granger, why don't you tell us what it is."

"It's a contraceptive potion, Sir."

"And why is it named after an old shoe?"

"Because it tastes like one," Pansy Parkinson interjected and chuckles were heard throughout the classroom.

"Probably, but that's not the reason why it's called that," Snape said. "It's called that, because the witch who brewed it first lived in a wooden shoe. She had twenty-seven children and she couldn't provide for them. You may know the nursery rhyme about her plights."

"Well she did feed them broth and she cared enough to throttle their arses before sending them to bed," Draco chuckled. "I'm sure if the wizard had come from a wealthy family they would have been cared for a bit more properly."

"Don't be smart Mr. Malfoy. Had she and her husband simply not had sex then they wouldn't have had to live in a blasted shoe with a brood of screaming brats!" Draco raised his hand and by the cheeky smile on his face, Hermione knew that he was about to say something smart arse, so Hermione kicked him under the table and he clamped his mouth shut. They spent the next hour brewing the difficult potion and when class ended Hermione couldn't wait to get the hell out of there.

"Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy, please see me before you leave."

"Now what," Hermione muttered under her breath.

"I want you to use the ladle to bottle and cork all of this potion."

"Yes, sir," Hermione and Draco said in unison.

"Then I want you to stow it in your bags and take it with you."

Hermione looked at Draco and the snarky blond was smiling "Now we can screw like rabbits," Draco said and Hermione slapped him in the arm as she began the daunting task of bottling up the potion.

###

They lost to Gryffindor and it sucked big hippogriff titties. Draco hated losing at Quidditch, but at least this time it was him who took the beating from the bludgers. He'd let Hermione have a go at playing Seeker, not wanting to see her bruised and bloodied as she tended goal, so he instead played the position of Keeper. He'd done a fair job at it too. They'd only given up one hundred sixty points total to the Lions, that after Ginny Weasley caught the snitch and Draco let one quaffle slide by him. Hermione was getting better each week though, but he still hated to see the look on her face after each Ravenclaw loss. In a fortnight, they would take on Slytherin and the odds of them winning were practically nil. He found it amazing that Granger could be so positive, assuring him that they would beat Slytherin. He liked that about her, even if he did find the notion a trifle naïve. He'd never beaten Harry Potter as much as that niggled at him too and the Slytherin chasers and beaters were top notch. They were by far the best of the House teams, especially after getting that no good Potter as their Seeker. He was certain that they would not only lose, but that they would lose _big_.

Draco shed his clothes and after a shower he laid down on his luxurious bed in the boys' dorms. "Care for some company?" she said and she slinked into his room wearing nothing but a pair of cotton panties and a camisole top. He licked his lips as she crawled onto the bed and laid her head on his chest. "Draco do you think we rushed things?"

"No, why do you?"

"Well, Ginny made me feel like I'm the only girl in school who is getting shagged. I feel a bit like a slag."

"You are not a slag," he said and he turned on his side and faced Hermione. "There's a book that the blokes pass around and we write shit in it after we're with a girl. You would be surprised at some of the names in it."

"What? Draco, that's disturbing." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not in that book am I?"

He gulped.

"I am?" she was mortified.

"Krum wrote an entry in it about you."

"Merlin! Whoever's idea it was to start an awful book like that is demented and should have his balls hexed off."

Draco smirked.

"You?" Hermione said in shock and she struggled to get away but Draco pinned her on his bed.

"Behave Granger, or I won't show you the book."

"You have it?" she asked and she wriggled under him in a way that was driving Draco mad. His cock grew immediately hard.

"I do. Blaise passed it to me today. Must have had an inkling that you and I—"

"You will not write crib notes about me in some bloody book," she chastised.

"I already did," he laughed and she pushed him off of her.

"Show me. Now," she had her hand on her hip in that way that just made Draco want to fuck her senseless. He reached into the night table at that and pulled out the black book. Hermione lunged for it but he pulled it back.

"Why should I show you this?"

"Because if you don't, I'm likely to hex you."

"Kiss me," he said and she leaned in and gave him a loving kiss. "Good girl," he purred as he passed her the book.

The _book_ was probably the most interesting read Hermione had ever had. It was a hot read, and at times a disturbing read, like when she read that Ginny Weasley liked her toes licked. She was surprised to see that even Ron had made an entry in the little, black book. He had written about Lavender Brown and what he said about her kisses wasn't all too nice. Pansy Parkinson swallowed, Parvati Patil didn't, and Romilda Vane liked it up the bum. She narrowed her eyes as she compared Draco's handwriting but he was off the hook when she realized that it was Blaise Zabini who had made the entry about Romilda. _Thank Merlin, because that it down right scary! _ When she came to her name, she smiled when she read Malfoy's entry about her. He simply wrote that kissing her was like kissing Cleopatra. "Suck up," she said when she realized that Draco was reading over her shoulder. It was all informative and she did at least feel better that she wasn't the only girl in the school getting shagged, but then her eyes went wide when she read what Viktor Krum wrote about her.

_Hermioninny Granger-can kiss but it lacks feels. Tight knees, could not get hand up to feels cooch. Has three nipple thinks. Like Quidditch players._

"Incendio," she said and the book burst into flames. "That illiterate, lying prat. Could not get hands up to feels cooch? Who says that?" she said indignantly. "I do not have a third nipple! I never even let him get past first base, and that's because kissing him was like kissing a mountain troll. Lacks feels," she scoffed. "I wrote to him for an entire summer after that." Draco was laughing at her though and Hermione tackled him on the bed, straddling the blond. "You think this is all very funny, don't you? The reputations you're ruining with such a book in circulation. You're evil, Draco Malfoy."

"You didn't see the stars next to it. The stars were where we voted on who was lying. Viktor had nine stars, so nobody believed that shit he wrote about you."

"Well, it's gone now, so no other immature wizards like yourself can write tawdry, dirty things about the witches in this school," she ran her hands down his bare chest and pinched his nipples. Hard. He yelped.

"Sure, it's gone," he said and he chuckled. Hermione turned around and the book that had exploded into an orange ball of fire only a moment earlier, was once again sitting on the nightstand in pristine condition.

"I need my head examined Draco. I should hate you right now, but instead all I want to do is shag you. You're like a creeping mold that festers and grows on me I guess," she giggled.

"Damn, it turns me on when you say such things," Draco smirked and then he promptly stripped her of her panties. "Ride me witch. Let's see what you got."

She found that being on top, allowed her a certain control to their lovemaking that she didn't have when Draco was on top. She liked it both ways though, but it was a tight squeeze and being able to take as little of him, or as much of his glorious cock inside her, allowed her to enjoy the experience that much more. She moaned when he squeezed her breasts together and suckled each one, rolling his tongue over her heady flesh. She pressed her hips down over him while he bucked gently upwards and into her, pressing his thumb over her nub and rubbing her so sensually, she found herself overcome with a deep feeling of togetherness. That was the best part of their lovemaking and it satisfied a need that she didn't even know that she had as she rocked over him. She was close to her climax and Draco was groaning in a way that made her feel powerful, like she controlled his pleasure. She quickened her pace as she bounced over his engorged rod. It was well into the night as they made passionate love in Draco's bed, alone, with nobody to disturb them and Hermione was in heaven. That was until Draco suddenly went rigid. His hands were on her hips, guiding her down over his manhood, and then suddenly they froze.

"Draco, what is it?" she said perplexed when the blond couldn't move.

"I forgot to tell you," he said and then Hermione felt a hard smack on her bum. She cried out. "Madam Pompfrey didn't catch me breaking into the hospital wing this morning." The paddle came down again on Hermione's arse and she yelped. Draco had a petrified grip on her hips and she couldn't get out from his clutches. "She did however bust me in the hall where I wasn't supposed to be. I lost ten points for Ravenclaw," Draco admitted.

"You bloody rat. Oh!" she said when Spanky hit her bum again and again. She didn't know what made her do it, but the whole act started to turn her on. Draco was deep inside her and she began to rock furiously over him as the bewitched paddle spanked her, instead of Draco, even though it was he who was frozen on the bed beneath her. On the tenth whack, she felt a gush of wetness and her body tingled everywhere.

"That right there is worthy of being in the book Granger. Fuck you're hot," the blond said and he shot his love into her with the force of Vesuvius.

Review!?


	9. Lullaby

*Lemons,Limes, Citrus Warning

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Nine

So it went for a while. Hermione was smitten, in love and reveling in the fruits of that love. Between classes, Draco would pull her into a broom closet where he would snog her silly. After classes, they would study together as they sat cuddled up together on the sofa in front of the roaring fire. When it rained, Drago would arrive at the window of their now shared dorm and Hermione, although weary, had grown fond of the young dragon and he fond of her. They still weren't having much luck at finding the lost looking glass and Dumbledore was growing ever the more impatient. A break came though when Draco and Hermione visited the library. It was into the evening and most of the students had already gone back to their common rooms. Hermione was standing on a stool, rifling through the dusty books on a higher shelf in a semi-dark corner of the library when Draco came up behind her.

"The view from down here is far better," he said and he snaked his hands under her skirt and she blushed when she felt his cool, pale fingers slip under her panties.

"Stop it," she whispered and she squeezed her legs shut. "Trying to work here. That's all you want me for is sex," she said smirking to herself.

"Well it isn't your brain that I want to fuck."

She spun around on her heels with wand in hand, forgetting that she was still standing on the step ladder, and then the ladder gave way and she was falling. Malfoy caught her in his arms and then promptly shoved her up against the bookcases. He caged her in his arms and then captured her mouth with the soft, pink pillows that were his lips. He gave her a bruising kiss that melted her heart. His hand gripped her left thigh and he raised her leg around his hip. Hermione's head fell back when she felt his fingers slip once again under her panties and then he was pumping her with his digit. One, then two and by the time he got to three purposeful fingers curling inside her, she was a quaking puddle of goo. "I suppose we have time for a quickee," she bit out through panting breaths.

"You have to do better than that if you want my cock. Come on, ask for it properly," he urged and his voice had taken on a husky appeal, one that he knew drove Hermione wild.

"I want your thing inside me," she whispered.

"Come again?" he said toying with her.

"Your penis. Hurry up before I change my mind."

"Little louder," he said.

"Give me your bloody cock. Now, Draco," Hermione said growing ever the more impatient.

"Mmm, that was saucy."

His thrusts were stabbing and deep and the bookcases shook with each roll of his hips into her. His mouth had a firm grip on her neck where he sucked at her flesh while his dick rammed her with lascivious intent. The force of his lovemaking was intense and Hermione's climax hit her like a rogue bludger but when it did, an old book fell on Hermione's head, having been knocked off the shelf. It smacked against her skull and then fell to the floor where it made a loud _BANG_.

"Is someone there?" Madam Pince said and Hermione froze. Draco was close though and he either didn't hear the librarian or he didn't care, because he wasn't stopping.

"Draco. Teacher," she whispered and he groaned and then pulled his slick rod from her. She quickly slid out from under him and righted her clothing.

"Oh, it's our two brightest students," Madam Pince smiled. Draco had his arm propped against the bookcase, and he feigned perusing for a book. "You can't study all of the time Ravenclaw, you also must sleep. Now hurry along to bed," she said politely before she excused herself.

"Bloody hag, I was so close," Draco spat, clearly unhappy with being interrupted. Hermione rubbed her sore head. That's when she remembered the book that had fallen from the shelf. She knelt down to pick it up and then her eyes bulged when she saw the lost Looking Glass of Lemuria staring up at her. It was just a picture of it from a reference book, but it was a huge clue. It was shaped like an eye and made out of glass. The glass looked like a window.

"Draco look. It's the Looking Glass. Oh, I have to check this book out."

"No. I'm nicking the damn book and we are going back to the common room where you will finish me off," he said in a matter-of-fact way. Hermione chuckled and threaded her fingers through the blond's soft hair, sweeping the hair from his forehead.

"Alright, it seems only fair," she said and Draco nodded as he stuffed the book into his robes and they left the library together.

They passed Harry Potter in the hall on their way back to the Ravenclaw common room, and Draco promptly removed his arm from around Hermione's shoulders. It was an act that didn't go unnoticed by the witch. Harry barely took notice of either of them though as he continued on past them and then entered into the boys lavatory. "That was odd," Hermione said and Draco slinked his arm around her again.

"Hmm?"

"Well Harry didn't say hi to me."

"More pressing matters in the loo it seems," Draco commented.

When they got back to the common room, Draco was annoyed. The riddle had taken them far too long to figure out as they stood at the portal wishing only that they be let into their common room. Finally, Hermione was able to answer the riddle, and by that time, Draco was nearly in a fit of rage as he shifted himself in his pants.

"Fuck, I'm so hard it hurts."

"Stop brooding like a child," Hermione said cuddling up on the sofa next to the blond. She reached down and unzipped his trousers and his cock sprung forth.

"Easy for you to say. You have quite an unselfish lover who takes your pleasure into account. Me, I'm stuck with a witch who takes all the orgasms for herself."

"Do you want to get off?" she asked, giving him a peck on the lips as her hand wrapped around the shaft of his manhood where she began to rub.

"Yes," he hissed and his head fell back against the couch. Hermione stroked him lovingly and then his hand shot up as she nibbled at his lips and he pushed her head downwards. Hermione nearly laughed at his dominant maneuver.

"You want _that _do you?" she asked and he moaned out when she swathed her tongue against his salty tip. She had read about fellatio, but the actual act of doing it was a little harder than the books made it seem. It didn't help that Draco kept pushing her head down, forcing her to take more of him then she was ready to take. She finally found her rhythm though and the blond was rock hard in her mouth as her head bobbed over him.

"Shit," he said, "It was there the entire time."

"What was?" Hermione said and she popped her head up.

"Tell you when you're done," he said and then his hand was pushing her down over himself again. She sucked him to the back of her throat and she was surprised that she didn't gag like the first few times that she tried, but she found herself curious.

"Draco, I'm dying. Tell me now. I promise I'll finish."

He sighed. "I found the looking glass."

"You did? Where," she said excitedly and again he was shoving her head back down to his painful erection.

"Bloody hell, Granger. I love you but can't you turn your brain off for five minutes. That's it. Strip and bend over the couch."

They'd never done it that way and in books that position was not one that Hermione found remotely romantic. He bent her over and grabbed her hips in purely masculine fashion and then his hardness was in her, deep, and she could feel every inch of him. He felt huge inside her as he thrust inside her. It was like the first time he'd spanked her, only this time as he mounted her from behind, he really gave it to her and all at once her breath was sucked out of her as the sensations took her by force. She was shouting out his name and then he was spanking her and all of it was thrilling to Hermione, so much so that she forgot all about the looking glass. He came with exploding force inside her and then he collapsed on the couch.

"Gods, I want to do it that way again," she said in all seriousness.

"Slave driver," he chuckled as he struggled to catch his breath.

"That's a really good position."

"The best," he agreed.

"Where's the looking glass, Draco?"

"Look up, he said."

She followed his gaze upwards to the domed ceiling of the common room where the stars twinkled in the night sky. "Its eye shaped if you look at it."

"I see it! The center where the stars are is shaped like an eye, but on the rim there's a man and a woman sitting on a throne together. That still doesn't make the clue work though," Hermione said and she scrunched her nose, deep in thought.

"Yes it does," Draco stated. "I'm safe in the place where blooming hearts are bound. Safe, well this is Ravenclaw and in theory nobody but a Ravenclaw can get in here."

"Blooming hearts I suppose refers to the couple on the throne, though it could refer to us Draco. We didn't start a relationship until we got into Ravenclaw and this room is where we spend most of our time together."

"Mmmhmm," Draco agreed.

"What does bound mean though? I know we're together, but we're hardly bound."

"Well go ahead and ask it Granger."

Hermione stood and with her neck craned high, she decided to give it a go. _What the hell it's worth a shot_, she said to herself. "What did the clue mean by being bound?" she asked and then the twinkling stars disappeared and it was replaced by a purplish haze. Draco sat up eagerly as he too watched the looking glass in action. When the purple, swirling haze cleared a loud creaking noise rang out through the common room. It was ear deafening and both Hermione and Draco covered their ears. The moving picture began to come into focus and they found themselves looking at a woman who was rocking on a porch swing, only the view they had was as if they were looking at the world through her eyes.

"Do you hear that?" Hermione said when the soft sounds of a lullaby began to play. The woman was singing to herself. It was a familiar song, one that Hermione's mother used to sing to her when she was a wee babe. "I know that song."

"Hermione—"

"Draco, that's my mother I think." The woman's gaze dropped then and Hermione found herself looking at a pair of hands, hands that were perched atop a giant belly. "That must be my mother when she was pregnant with me, though I don't recognize the house or the yard. We lived in the suburbs and didn't have anything near as beautiful as that landscape," she said when she saw the lush greenery and blooming trees.

"Granger—" Draco said again, but Hermione's mind was moving at a rapid pace.

"Why would the looking glass show me the past? It's supposed to show probabilities of the future. Remind me to look up the different colors of the swirl we saw. It was purple and that means something."

"Granger!" Draco shouted and Hermione finally turned towards him. "That's my home. That tree just there," he pointed, "Is one I used to climb as a boy."

"That can't be. Why would my mother be sitting on the porch at Malfoy Manor?" Her question was answered for both of them though when the woman, whose eyes they were seeing through, turned to her right and the face of a man fell into view. She leaned over and gave him a slow, sensual kiss. The man was Draco Malfoy.

"Is the room moving?" Hermione said feeling dizzy and then everything faded to blackness.

She had fainted but Draco was kind enough to splatter her face with a stream of water from his wand and she sat bolt upright, awake. After that, the pair spent their time digging through any book that even had the mere mention of Lemuria, in the hopes of finding the key to reading the probabilities that the Looking Glass of Lemuria conjured up. Hermione was convinced that the purple swirl had something to do with the likeliness of the probability coming true and in lieu of what they'd seen in the vision, they needed to know because it was genuinely disturbing. Draco didn't want kids and Hermione, well Hermione had quipped that perhaps one day she would like children, but that it wasn't that day or anytime in the near future. That at least was some small source of comfort for Draco at least.

"Here, this page," she held up a thick reference book. "Look,it's been ripped out," Granger said.

"Great. So Harry fucking Potter, ripped it out. So we have the looking glass, but he has the information to decode the visions. Just fucking great."

"We don't know that it's Harry who has it," Hermione interjected. "It could have been another student."

"Yeah, because that bint who teaches History of Magic, loves to assign homework on Lemuria. I've only ever even heard of it in one of my bloody Merlin books that I read. Fuck this, I'm going to bed."

"Do you want me to join you?"

"Suit yourself. I'm knackered," Draco said coldly, although it hadn't been intentional, it just sort of came out that way and Granger looked pissed as she trotted up the stairs to the girl's dorms instead. He decided not to bother with it. He would apologize in the morning for being an insensitive prick. Women appreciated that sort of bullshit.

In the morning he found that Granger had gone on to breakfast without him. He noticed the uncapped bottle of contraception potion sitting on one of the desks closest to the portal and he grabbed it and stashed it in his robes. He figured that Hermione had forgotten to take her daily dosage of the _best potion ever made_, so he wanted to be sure to remind her to take it. _Kid_s, he said to himself and a chill shot down his spine. _Yeah I'm sure that the way I've been raised I'd make the best sort of father_, and he chuckled as he made his way down to the Great Hall. "Now son, don't associate with any kids who are beneath your breeding status, and all kids are beneath you young Scorpius. You can steal and rape but do not get caught, now be a good boy and don't tell your Mum that I'm shagging your former girlfriend Pansy," Draco said aloud as he played out mock performances to amuse himself at the thought of fatherhood. It was disturbing to say the least. He didn't have the first clue about how to be a proper father, since his own Dad had turned out to be a brainwashed, murdering, raping bastard. Hell, he still caught himself thinking much the same way that he had always thought, afterall it was how he was taught, especially in relation to muggle-borns. It wasn't that he thought Hermione was any less smart or capable than a pure blooded witch. _Pansy was pure blooded and look how she turned out._ He could say the same for most of the Slytherin lot in fact, no, it wasn't that. What did bother him though was when he received a near perfect test back, only to look next door at Hermione's paper only to see that she'd bested him. Again. When it happened, and it happened a lot, his first instinct was to tell himself that as a pureblood he should have done more, that he had somehow not lived up to his full, pure blooded potential. He knew it was shit, but seventeen years of brainwashing didn't go away overnight, so he wasn't going to clobber himself over the head with a beater's bat for having such obtuse thoughts.

"No, Cormac, you have to stir counterclockwise first and then three strokes clockwise and then you add the valerian sprigs," he heard Hermione say to the muscled, Gryffindor jock who was parked in his spot at the Ravenclaw table. It annoyed Draco to no end.

"Oi," he cleared his throat and the dimwitted idiot just stared up at him with a blank look on his face and then dismissed Draco altogether as he turned back to _his Hermione_ and continued to ask the brainy witch about potions.

"Cormac, that's Malfoy's seat. Come sit over here and I can show you what you were doing wrong one more time."

"Or, you could piss off and go join the rest of the bloody Gryffindor's since that's where you're supposed to be," Draco said with a sneer. Cormac McLaggen glared at him and Draco smiled when he got his way and the Gryffindor idiot went back to his table.

"That was rude," she said and she turned away from him and instead started to wave to the fools at the Gryffindor table.

"So was not waiting for me this morning. Here, you forgot to take this," he said and he slid the potion across the table.

"Are you insane? Passing me that potion here, in the Great Hall, for everyone to see? I'm not your whore Malfoy. I'm not going to spread my legs for you and potentially pop out a brood of spoiled, arrogant brats. I have goals and I've worked too hard to throw them all away for motherhood." She stowed the potion in her bag though and since Granger seemed to be having a bitch fit, he decided not to press the issue. That better have been the end of it though, because what she said was quite stinging and cruel, especially for Hermione, who rarely had a bad thing to say about anybody.

"Are you finished now? Because we really need to find those ripped out pages."

"Am I done? You treated me like the plague last night. I'm thinking we should just go to Dumbledore and let him sort it out. If Harry has the pages that we need, then let Dumbledore get them from him."

"No, not yet. Give me a day to find those missing pages first." It was at that moment that Draco hatched a plan. He couldn't out right ask Harry for the missing pages because of the Unbreakable Vow, yet Harry bunked in Slytherin, and Draco knew every nook and cranny of the dungeons. That's when he decided to pay a visit to his old dorms. Of course he would have to wait until everyone was asleep.

He was on his way to the Quidditch pitch where he and Granger were scheduled for practice, when he saw Harry Potter enter into the third floor loo. It was the same bathroom that he'd seen him go into before when he had ignored Hermione. _Curious_, he thought to himself. When Draco looked about and didn't see anybody else in the vicinity, he paced into the toilet. Potter was in the last stall and it was quiet, so Draco relieved himself and when he heard Potter exit the stall he too did so and they both met up at the sinks.

"Potter," Draco said with a sneer and a nod as he washed his hands in the sink.

"Draco," Harry replied and then Potter glared at him in a way that made Draco fearful of him. It wasn't his normal expression and something about the way he said Draco instead of Malfoy bothered him.

~~~~0~~~~~

Hermione didn't know why she felt so hostile towards Malfoy, but she did nonetheless. She knew she still loved him, that hadn't changed. Her heart sped up every time he entered the room, yet she still found herself irritated with him and there wasn't a single rational explanation as to the reason why. He'd even apologized to her for his behavior the night before, this after they had a very promising Quidditch practice where Hermione was able to stop all of the quaffles that Draco sent towards the goal. She'd kissed him and per usual, his kisses ignited a fire within, yet she didn't want to take it any further than that and she spurned his advances when he tried to. But then she'd lied to him. She told him that she had one more to book to read on Lemuria and he left it alone as he stalked off to bed. _Since when did I become a liar?_ None of it sat well with her and she endeavored to make it up to Draco the following day.

"Can't sleep. Going for a walk around the grounds," Draco announced as he suddenly appeared in the common room where Hermione sat hunched over a book on the sofa.

"Bit late don't you think? If you get caught you know who will be visiting your room tonight?" Hermione chuckled while the image of Spanky, the bewitched paddle walloping Draco's cute arse danced in her mind.

"Don't wait up."

"Separate sleeping arrangements or—" Hermione asked as she tapped her quill on her chin. He stopped and turned around at that.

"In light of what we saw in that bloody looking glass, I don't blame you for not wanting to be intimate with me. I know I'm not father material, but I rather like you in my bed. I know you don't fancy being alone in the dorm at night, so, I'd like to extend the invitation for you to stay with me."

Hermione nodded.

~~~~0~~~~~

Draco cursed when he found that the password to the Slytherin common room had been changed. _No worries_, he thought to himself. That had happened to him before once when he was dating a girl from Hufflepuff and he'd been stopped at the portal when the password was changed sometime while he was out. He'd been so angry and wracked with worry that Professor McGonagall, who was doing rounds that night, would catch him out past curfew. In his anger he had taken to a whirlwind of insults and the portal, being amused by his colorful language had let him in. "Alright you piece of shit, let me in." Nothing happened though, so he tried again and again but to no avail. "Gryffindor sucks." Perhaps his designation as a Ravenclaw was the factor that was preventing the portal from opening, because it should have worked. He was about to give up and leave when Victor Crabbe, who was known to be a sleepwalker, stumbled down the corridor carrying a half-eaten loaf of pumpkin bread. He was wearing pajamas and crumbs and crème filling were smeared over his pudgy face. _Revolting_, Draco thought to himself, but when the portal opened, Draco filed in behind Crabbe. He slipped into the dorms with the stealth of a jungle cat and then he made his way over to where his old bunk had been. Green light from the Black Lake streamed in through the window, casting a soft glow over the room. It was at that moment he felt lucky to be in Ravenclaw. Spooning Granger had become his favorite pastime and with that in mind he did what he came to do as he lifted open a sleeping Harry Potter's trunk. He found Harry's invisibility cloak and he just couldn't help himself. The cloaks were rare and his kleptomaniac brain told him to take it, so he did.

"No my Lord, please," Harry Potter moaned in his sleep and Draco stilled himself. When it appeared that he was just sleep talking during what had to have been a nightmare (if the Dark Lord was in his dreams it was sure to be a night terror), Draco continued to sift through the trunk. Finally, he struck gold and he found the torn out pages from the book. He stuffed them into his robes and then he slipped back out through the portal.

Hermione was fast asleep when he got back to the Ravenclaw dorms and he undressed and slipped into bed next to her, curling an arm around her as he did so. She stirred and turned over where she nuzzled her head against his chest and Draco pressed a warm kiss against her forehead before nodding off himself.

Review!?


	10. The Snitch

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Ten

"Give it to me," Hermione giggled as she wrestled Draco for the torn out pages that held the key to understanding the vision from the looking glass.

"Oh, I'll give it to you," the blond said and he caged her under his body, pinning her. She wriggled under him, playfully kicking at him, that was until he flipped her over onto her stomach. "Just how I like you," he purred. "Face down, with your cheek pressed against the bed sheets and your sexy arse in the air." He ground his growing erection into her backside and Hermione squealed in protest.

"Stop horsing around Draco. Let me see it already," she said and he finally relented as he flopped back down on the bed.

"A vibrant hue of purple means—a fifty percent probability of the vision coming true." Hermione let out a deflated sigh. "That really isn't very helpful is it?"

"Hey, I'm not going to bitch about purple. It could have been royal blue and then we'd both be fucked," Draco spat.

"I suppose you're right. You ready for this?" she said, referring to the long, awaited Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

" I dunno," he chuckled, "Let me ask. Will we beat Slytherin tonight?" Draco said and he stared up into the looking glass. Hermione craned her neck to see the vision, but Draco held his hand over her eyes.

"What's it showing? Draco, let me see!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You can do it Draco, I know you can. Just because you've never beaten Harry before, doesn't mean that it can't happen. What did the looking glass say?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he said with a smirk. "I need you to bide me some time. The Slytherins are going to send mad bludgers at you, so you need to have the eyes of an owl out there Granger."

"The Slytherins can bite my bum," Hermione said in her best impression of a Slytherin girl.

"Yeah, that's not happening, unless you've changed your thinking in regards to Unforgiveable Curses?" he remarked and then he gave her a hard pinch on the arse, just as the announcer signaled the start of the game.

The first one narrowly missed her broom and the second one whizzed by her head with lightning speed, barely avoiding her as she ducked. The third one caught her in the foot, however, and she could have sworn that she heard the sound of snapping bones. Oddly, it didn't hurt as the adrenaline coursed through her muggle-born veins. One, two and then three shots of the quaffle through the Ravenclaw hoops were instead deflected. The Slytherin chaser, Marcus Flint, fouled her though when he collided with her broom. The force sent her into a tailspin. She saw the ground drawing ever closer as she spun like a muggle helicopter, but then Draco was there, and he flew low and then called out to her. "You have to steady it. Like this Granger," he said and then he placed one hand on the front of his broom and the other on the back of it. Hermione nodded and mimicked his actions and then breathed a sigh of relief when the broom slowed its spin and the centrifugal force stabilized itself. When she looked up, the scoreboard read Ravenclaw, zero, Slytherin, sixty points. She put herself once again in front of the Ravenclaw hoops and then she scanned the skies overhead. Harry and Draco were embroiled in a bitter battle to catch the snitch as they rammed into one another time and again.

"I was hoping I'd get the polyjuiced version of yourself today, Potter," she heard Draco shout and Harry turned back and stared at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"When I saw you in the loo, didn't seem to be quite your normal idiot, fool self."

"You're just trying to throw me off of the snitch. It won't work Malfoy," Harry fired back as the snitch flew low and the two rival wizards darted off after it. They were neck and neck and Hermione cheered.

"You can do it, Draco!" she encouraged and then the Slytherin chaser was there once again and he was making another pass at her. _That dirty, rotten prat_, she said to herself when she saw his sneering face edging ever closer to her. She didn't know what propelled her to do it, but it felt good nonetheless. At the last second, just before the chaser careened into her, she launched herself backwards on her broom. Flint's Firebolt propelled itself straight over top of Hermione, but the tip of her broom stabbed him in the groin with a jabbing thrust and he yelped out in pain. "Yeah, you want some of me, come on then!" Hermione taunted. "Take that!" she laughed wildly. She was actually having fun playing Quidditch. That was definitely a first for her, although in the back of her mind, she was praying to Merlin that Draco would catch the snitch and end the game. She didn't know how long she could hold off the all-male,Slytherin bullies, and her foot was at last beginning to throb.

"Ravenclaw has caught the snitch! The game is over," the announcer said and the stands were alive as a thunderous applause roared in Hermione's ears. "Ravenclaw wins!"

It was a joyous feeling and Hermione didn't even care that she had probably broken every bone in her foot as she hopped on one foot. Her heart sped up when she saw his blond head bobbing through the sea of cheering students as he made his way through the crowds. When he reached her, he wound his arms around her waist and proceeded to give her a bruising kiss. "See, I said you'd do it Draco," Hermione said and tears of joy streamed down her face.

"We did it," Draco said with his forehead against hers as he gazed into her eyes with silver pools of brilliance that made Hermione melt like a bowl of ice-cream on a hot summer's day. When he broke off the kiss, Hermione winced as she held onto Draco for support. "Hospital wing then?" Draco said and he chuckled.

"Yeah, I think I want to practice my beater skills, so that next time I can beat the tar out of the jerk who did this to me."

"Is it wrong that I find it sexy when you talk about beating people?" Draco winked and he scooped her up into his arms as they set off for the hospital wing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We're going to sit you up now and I'll administer the Skele-Gro, and then you should be right as rain," Madame Pomphrey quipped as she laid a hand on Hermione's back and then the other on her chest as she attempted to lift her into the sitting position.

"Ouch," Hermione said when the healer's hand pushed a little too hard against her bosom. "I can sit up by myself," she said angrily and she swatted Madame Pomphrey's hand away. Draco quirked an eyebrow at her. "What? I'm just a little sore in that region. It's probably your fault for being too rough with them," she whispered under her breath.

"How long have the mood swings and the breast tenderness gone on?" the healer asked and Hermione found herself growing annoyed.

"A few days is all. I am _not _having mood swings though. I know that you're doing your job, but honestly do you have to act like such a Mother Hen?"

Madame Pomphrey frowned and shook her head. "I'm going to need to administer a pregnancy test, just to be sure. Do you have any reason to think that you might be with child, Miss Granger?"

"Absolutely not," Hermione bit out.

"Yes," Draco chimed in and if looks could kill, then at that moment Draco should have been dead, because Hermione wanted to throttle him.

"Take your potion dear. I'll only be a second. You're the second student today," the healer murmured as she paced off to retrieve a pregnancy test. "Nevermind that I said that." Hermione glared at Draco when the healer left the room for a moment.

"Why did you say that?"

"We've been shagging like a couple of Cornish Pixies in heat, Granger. What was I supposed to say?"

"Gods you're a prat," she said with her arms folded and her nose in the air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco resembled the ghost of Ravenclaw, the Grey Lady, when they left the hospital wing together. Hermione's foot was numb and tingly, but she ignored it as they made their way through the castle in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room. Not once, but twice Draco had to stop in the loo, where he puked his guts out. As Hermione waited patiently outside of the third floor bathroom, she found herself growing ever the more impatient. "Honestly Draco, I'm the one who is knocked up, not you. It should be me in there."

"I told you to take two doses of the Old Shoe Elixir and Madame Pomphrey backed up that very sentiment," Draco said as he exited the loo. Hermione rolled her eyes at the blond. She was in no mood for his pureblooded Malfoyisms.

"You said for me to take tw,o because you're a Pureblood, which is a load of nonsense," Hermione said as she limped down the corridor. Madame Pomphrey, after she had administered the Skele-Gro and much to Hermione's dismay, a pregnancy test,(which consisted of casting a spell over Hermione's stomach by which a pink light swirled over her head thus announcing a positive result) she had sat both of them down for the _talk_. Draco of course, heard only what he wanted to hear, instead of the facts as they were presented.

"She said that, because of my magical inheritance, that you should have been taking two potions after sex! I heard what she said."

"Yes, you stupid git, she said that," Hermione stopped and turned on Draco. "She didn't mean Pureblood inheritance though."

"Then what do you think it meant, Granger? Hmm?"

"She meant that as an only child, your parents' full potency of magic was passed onto you and only you, as it wasn't shared between siblings. It had nothing to do with anything but propagation of the species. Our species. Witches and wizards. It doesn't make you more powerful than me or anyone else. I read about Magical Inheritances once, and it doesn't have anything to do with your blood, Draco. It has to do with fertility. Take Ron for example," Hermione lectured, "He has quite a lot of brothers' and one sister, so his Mum and Dad's magical inheritance would have been split evenly between the children. Ironically, it seems that if I had been shagging Ron, instead of you, then chances are I'd not be knocked up, but because your parents gave all of their inheritance to you, I'm screwed."

"So you're saying that I'm a deliciously, virile wizard and Weaselbee is shooting blanks?"

"You're so twisted, but as much as it pains me to admit it, essentially that is correct, at least in theory. You're probably the last guy in this school that I should have slept with."

"So if you read about magical inheritances and knew all of this, then how is that I was right and you were wrong? I did tell you to take two potions after sex, instead of one."

"I guess it slipped my mind. It's not like I was planning on having sex this year, so it was just an interesting fact when I read it. Besides, you weren't saying it for the right reasons, so don't pat yourself on the back too much," Hermione smirked.

"I'm not the only one who is an only child. Potter is as well, so are you, but your parents are muggles so it doesn't really count, as you have no magical inheritance. When ya' think about it that way, it kind of makes it even more impressive that I knocked you up at all."

"Don't go there," Hermione said and she held a hand up in his face as they reached the portal. "Did you catch what Madame Pomphrey said about it being the second test she'd administered today? Makes you wonder."

"Mmhmm," Draco nodded. His face then took on a serious expression, one that made Hermione nervous.

"What are we going to do, Granger?"

"You mean what am _I _going to do? I don't know yet."

"Then you're considering ending it?"

"Of course I'm considering it. I'm considering everything." Hermione reached into her bag and fingered the potion bottle, the one that Madame Pomphrey had given to her, and the one that would end her worry by terminating her pregnancy. It was when she handed Hermione the potion, that she saw a morose look pass over Draco's face. That's when he turned a whiter shade of pale and began to spew his innards in every loo in the castle. Her gut reaction was to uncork the bottle and swallow every last drop of the potion, but then she saw Draco's expression and great rainclouds of indecision poured down on Hermione. Had Draco forbidden her to take the potion, then she probably would have swallowed it right then and there, but he didn't. He didn't say one word at all, which Hermione appreciated. It was for that reason that she didn't take the potion, and why she intended to consider all options before she made a decision on what to do about her surprise pregnancy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco was acting in an unusually chivalrous way. When Hermione was feeling too tired to carry out her prefect duties, Draco offered to do them, without so much as one rude comment, complaint or sarcastic remark. It was unnerving to say the least. Hermione was exhausted, utterly and completely spent. She had N.E.W.T's to study for, homework and Quidditch practices (which Draco had somehow gotten them out of for two weeks in a row and by which she felt a deep sense of appreciation towards the blond for accomplishing that, however he did it). She only had another week, and then the potion, if she took it, would not be effective and yet she was no closer to figuring out what to do then she had been a week earlier when she'd first been told the news.

"The apples aren't quite ripe, but the oranges are good. Here, have one," Draco said and he offered her an orange slice as they sat in the Great Hall and had breakfast together. Hermione waved him off. She was feeling rather green around the gills, so she opted to skip breakfast. "You didn't touch your breakfast Granger. You have to eat."

"Honestly, don't fuss over me, and don't pretend to be the doting father to be. I still haven't decided what to do, so best to let go of whatever delusions you have of you and me and baby makes three," she said and then she immediately wanted to eat her own words when a wounded expression flashed across Draco's handsome face.

"I was just trying to be nice to you. Things got quite chilly between us, and it sucks. The way you've shut me out sucks too. You know, fuck this," he said and he reached for his bag and swaggered off.

"Hey 'Mione, did you hear the news?" Ginny Weasley said and she plopped down next to Hermione at the Ravenclaw table. Hermione gave her a weak nod, her mind on other things. "Rumor is, Pansy Parkinson is pregnant and that Harry is the father."

"What?"

"Yeah, she's in the loo throwing up right now. Lavender was in there and she said she heard Pansy tell Millicent that she had a bun in the oven."

"Is she going to have it?" Hermione asked.

"Lavender left when they pulled their wands on her, so who knows, but I mean of course she will have it, why wouldn't she?"

"There's a potion she could take that would end the pregnancy," Hermione said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the conversation as it hit way too close to home.

"How barbaric! Why would anyone do that when there are couples like my brother Bill and Fleur who want children but can't have them? Can you believe that Harry is going to be a father though? It's shocking, not to mention upsetting. I always thought it would be me and Harry."

"Honestly, you don't know who the father is, so stop spreading rumors, Ginny. Also, you shouldn't go spreading rumors about Pansy either. It's private and I'm sure she doesn't want the entire school knowing, if in fact she even is pregnant. Lavender Brown has gotten it wrong before." Hermione rose from the table in a huff at that and then made her way to her first class.

"Merlin, Hermione, what's eating you today? Must be all that time spent with Malfoy," Ginny shouted after her but Hermione raised her hand and gave the redhead a rather crude, muggle, hand gesture.

~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~

Harry was not looking well at all. He had an almost dark presence about him, and even darker circles had formed rings around his eyes. It was as if he hadn't slept in a month. Draco was doing his best at the cold shoulder. She knew she deserved it, and she also knew that she would have to apologize to him later, once they were alone in the common room. After Transfiguration class, Hermione grabbed Harry and pulled him into an empty classroom. She worried about him, and in light of her conversation with Ginny at breakfast; she wanted to speak to him, alone.

"What's up 'Mione? We're supposed to be in Potions right now."

"We should skip it today and talk instead, alright? Besides, the smells are revolting and they make me want to hurl." When Harry gave her a casual nod she bit her lip nervously and proceeded. "Harry, I'm worried about you. You don't look well. There's also the rumors that Pansy Parkinson is pregnant and that you're the father."

"Merlin," Harry said and his mouth fell open.

"You didn't know?"

"I had an idea. 'Mione, I'm sleep walking or something. I woke up again at the Shrieking Shack. It's the third time this week. I'm speaking parseltongue without even knowing I'm doing it. Most of the blokes in Slytherin are afraid of me and the stuff with Pansy- I don't know what to say. If she is having a baby then I'm pretty sure I'm the father. Why can't things go back to how they were? You, me and Ron, all on the same side, hanging out in Gryffindor together." Hermione's heart was breaking listening to her friend speak. She'd been so caught up with her whirlwind romance with Draco, and the search for the looking glass and her split with Ron, and just everything, that she'd completely neglected her best friend, Harry Potter. She leaned in and hugged him and when she did, Harry laid his head on her shoulder and wept.

"I'm still your friend, Harry. I'll always be here for you, even if I'm sort of a mess too."

"What's wrong Hermione?" he said with genuine care and compassion and she felt the old Harry again.

"I'm pregnant."

"Merlin. I'm sorry," he hugged her tighter. "Ron's or Malfoy's?"

"It's Draco's," she replied softly. "I was thinking maybe I'd end the pregnancy with this potion Madame Pomphrey gave me, but then Ginny mentioned that Bill and Fleur were having trouble conceiving a baby and I thought maybe they would want to adopt my baby. Then I started thinking on what Draco said about me maybe not having a magical inheritance because my parents were muggles, and I started wondering what if this is the only chance at motherhood that I'm ever going to get? I mean sure," she rambled, "I can probably have a muggle child just fine, but I always thought I'd have a baby that was born a witch or wizard."

"Alright, you sort of lost me there with the inheritance stuff. Does Malfoy know?"

Hermione nodded as a tear trickled from her eye and ran down her cheek.

"Have you talked with the slimy, prat about it? How does he feel?"

"It's my body, Harry."

"Yeah, but it's his baby too."

"Are you defending Malfoy of all people?" Hermione asked completely flabbergasted.

"Merlin, no, never. He told me once that he loved you, and that you loved him back. I hated him so much that I didn't want to hear it, but if that's true 'Mione, then I think you and Malfoy should make this decision together," Harry said and he brushed her tears away with his thumbs.

"You're right. Thank you," she said and she hugged him again as they stood wrapped in each others arms in the empty classroom. Neither of them heard the door open.

"I love you, Hermione. You've always been there for me."

"I love you too Harry," she said and smiled. That was until she looked up to see Draco standing in the doorway. His hands were shaking and Hermione let go of Harry and called after him, but he took off like a bat out of hell.

Review!?

Still lots to go in this story. I hope you're enjoying and thanks so much for all the encouraging and awesome reviews! This chapter would have been up sooner had I been able to access the site, so my apologies.


	11. Trollups & Trolls

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Eleven

Draco ran through the castle with a knot the size of a bezoar in his throat after hearing the witch that he loved, proclaim her love to Harry fucking Potter of all people. He wanted to hex something into oblivion. He bowled over a fifth year student on his way to the dungeons and he never looked back. He needed to be alone, so he sprinted through the deepest bowels of the castle until he came to the heavy, metal door. He reached for his wand and chanted, "Alohomora," and the creaky door opened. Green light from the lake above bathed the room in a luminescent glow. The room was a Slytherin hideaway, one that he and Pansy Parkinson found years earlier when they were looking for a private, out of the way place in which to fuck. He lay his body down on a rug that he'd stolen from the Divination classroom and then he looked up at the prehistoric fish as they swam by. _She hates you Draco. She wants no part of you and it revolts her that your child is in her belly. If it was Potter's baby though, she would be overjoyed, but it's not. It's yours and she wants to kill it because it's yours. _

"Draco, is that you?" he heard and the door swung closed. He looked up to see the tear stained face of his former girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson. He sighed. Aside from Granger, she was about the last person that he wanted to see.

"I came here to be alone, so do us a favor and leave, Pansy. I wouldn't want you to claim that I raped you," he said snidely.

"I'm sorry, Draco. Lucius made me do it." She was telling the truth, and he knew it. That's how the Death Eaters worked. Both Draco and Pansy had been forced to do things, many things that neither of them wanted to do, but they operated by threats and they instilled fear into their children.

"Did my father rape you, Pansy?"

"No, it wasn't rape. I thought he loved me. I wanted a part of you Draco, but when you chucked me, I settled for Lucius. He used me. Now I'm afraid though. They're going to take me and Harry's baby and sacrifice it for the Dark Lord," she said and she laid down next to Draco on the rug. Tears sprang from her eyes.

"Whoa, what the fuck?"

"There's a prophecy and the Dark Lord fears it. I accidentally found it when I was helping Harry look for the Lost Look-well that's not important, but what it said frightened the Dark Lord. He means to kill my baby. He won't let it live. I'm so scared," Pansy said and she sobbed into Draco's chest. He wrapped reluctant arms around her and soothed her.

"Why is my father taking polyjuice and pretending to be Potter?"

"I don't know, Draco." Draco cast her a dubious glance. Pansy was an accomplished liar, just as he was. "Draco, I swear I don't know why he's doing it. He's working on something in the Room of Requirement though, that much I know. Harry, poor Harry, has no idea why he keeps waking up at the Shrieking Shack, but it's so that Lucius can complete his work. I want to tell him. He's wracked with worry. There's so much that I want to say to him, but I'm afraid of the prophecy and what it means."

"Tell me what the prophecy says," Draco said.

"I can't. He will kill me if I do."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She searched high and low, but with no sign of the blond, Hermione was forced to give up the search for Draco. As she sat by the fire with an opened book on her lap, she made her decision. One anyways. She would have to talk to Draco about the other decisions, but the decision to take the potion and end her pregnancy was hers and hers alone. She reached into her book bag and held the potion between her fingers. _It's black like death, and it's not the child's fault for my own stupidity._ She uncorked the potion bottle and then doused the orange flames of the fire with the black liquid. She set the potion bottle down on the table in front of her and with a feeling of accomplishment for at least taking that small step, she returned to her studies. She didn't have it all worked out, but in her heart she knew that ending the pregnancy was not her destiny.

"Granger—" Draco said when he burst through the portal. Hermione looked up in surprise, and her heart sped up at seeing the man that she loved. His eyes went wide though and Hermione was all at once confused. His eyes misted over and she knew that he was holding back a dam of tears. She stood to go to him, to comfort him, but he turned away from her as he made for the portal.

"Draco, stop! Please talk to me."

"I heard you say the words. You love Harry Potter."

"Well, yes, of course I do. He's my best friend. What you heard though were the words of love between friends. Draco, I love you. Harry is like a brother to me and I a sister to him."

"No. Don't," he said and he whirled around on her. "You don't love me. You got rid of our baby." He motioned to the empty potion bottle on the table, and Hermione understood the welling of tears behind his eyes. "You're ashamed to be with me. You hate me and everything I stand for and it disgusted you to have a part of me inside you. Did it feel good to wipe out all traces of me when you drank that bloody potion? Perhaps I should _obliviate_ you so you can forget all about me," he said in a rage and then he pulled out his wand.

"How dare you," Hermione said and her hand flew as she smacked him hard across the face. "You stupid, arsehole. Do you think I would give my virginity away, something that I can never get back, if I wasn't sure that I loved you? I love you, you mean prick! I love you Draco with all of my heart, which is why I couldn't take that potion, so I tossed it into the fire! No, I don't want to be a mother right now and I'm plenty scared of what's to come, but don't you tell me how _I_ feel Draco Malfoy."

"Our baby?" Draco said in softer tones and then his hand moved to her lower abdomen. His Adam's apple bulged and his eyes softened as he moved his hand over her belly. When he looked up and into her eyes Hermione's heart swelled. "I love you Granger. I'm sorry. I didn't want you to take the potion. I'll keep it and you won't have to see her if you don't want to. You can still have a life Granger, I won't deny you of all that you want, but I want this baby. I don't know the first thing about raising a bloody kid, but I'll learn and she will be loved, unlike the way I was raised, she will have a father who loves her."

"Her, huh?" Hermione smiled. "So you think it's a little witch do you?"

Draco nodded.

"You know what I want Draco?" she said and she reached up and her hand glided through his hair. "I want you to take me to your bed and make love to me."

He was careful with her and he treated her like a china doll that might break as he lay down over top of her. He dropped kisses over her tingling body and when his head dipped between her legs and his velvety tongue brought her to new heights, she raked her hands through his hair and moaned out his name over, and over again.

"I want you inside me," she whispered.

"I don't want to hurt the baby," he said as he positioned himself over top of her and parted her legs with his knees.

"You won't Draco-now give me that big cock of yours. This pregnancy has me hornier than a toad and I'll probably want to do it again in the morning. Fuck me," she said in a deep, throaty voice and Draco growled as he pushed into her. Their moans were in unison as he rocked inside her, fucking her and she reveled in the feeling of him filling her up with his engorged manhood. "Just think, for the next few months we can make love as often as we like and I won't have to drink that foul contraception potion," she bit out in between thrusts.

"I want to fuck you into the sheets, Granger," he said and then he plowed into her, his hips rolling in circles as their orgasms crashed down over them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were two, young lovers as they snogged themselves silly on the couch in the Ravenclaw common room where Hermione straddled Draco.

"Well it's easy to see how such a turn of events occurred," Professor Dumbledore said when he suddenly appeared in the common room. He was flanked by Snape, McGonagall and Professor Flitwick and they were all staring at Hermione and Draco with a sense of disappointment playing over their faces. "Please disengage," Dumbledore demanded and Hermione crawled off of Draco's lap where she scooted to the opposite end of the sofa. Draco reached across the couch though to hold her hand, an act that comforted Hermione and she squeezed his hand in hers.

"Sex is strictly forbidden in Ravenclaw. We frown on such acts as a Ravenclaw student is smart enough to know that sexual intercourse among students is neither intelligent nor morally ethical. I am greatly disappointed by both of you."

"Rubbish," Draco drawled and he rolled his eyes.

"Quiet Draco," Snape urged and he shot Draco a look of warning.

"Madame Pomphrey made me aware of your condition Miss Granger. In so, I was bound by my duty as Headmaster of Hogwarts to contact both of your parents."

"Shit," Draco said under his breath.

"Shit indeed, Mr. Malfoy. Miss Granger, your mother was quite upset, though I had a hard time understanding her words through the tears. Mr. Malfoy, to say that your father was quite cross would be an understatement. Draco, he owled the Ministry in an attempt to force me to enact the _Dishonorable Laws _on Hogwarts and its students.

"I don't ever remember reading about that in Hogwarts a History," Hermione piped in.

"Well, you wouldn't Miss Granger, because I personally had all mention of the archaic laws, expunged from every book in this school."

"Surely the Ministry would not abide by the ravings of a mad man such as Lucius Malfoy. No offense Draco," McGonagall said.

"None taken," Draco replied.

"I am to enforce the laws. I was contacted by the Ministry this evening," Dumbledore said.

"That's absurd," Snape hissed. "The fact of truth is that the students can and _do_ have sex."

"Thanks Severus," Draco piped up.

"Shut up, Draco. This is very serious. You got a young witch pregnant!" Snape fired back.

"Is that all?" Hermione said and she folded her arms, "Because honestly, this is a private affair between Draco and me, and I'm rather tired, so if you don't mind, the portal is that way."

"Miss Granger you don't understand," McGonagall said with a grave expression.

"Just give us our detentions and our fifty whacks and let's call it a night," Hermione said annoyed.

"The Dishonorable Laws, carry with them three spells. Professor Flitwick, if you would please read the first law and then administer the Charm." Hermione looked at Draco with a sense of worry playing over her face.

"It's alright, don't get upset baby doll. They can't do anything to us that will change how we feel. I love you." Hermione nodded to Draco with equal resolve.

"I love you too, Draco."

"By order of the Ministry of Magic, I, Filius Flitwick, Hogwarts Professor of Charms, do state that Hermione Jean Granger and Draco Abraxus Malfoy shall hereby be unable to speak to one another. By casting this charm the offending, unmarried students will be silenced from one another until which time the spell is broken."

"You can't allow this," Snape said in a rage. "These are the two best students in the school."

"Yes, Severus, all the more reason for the Ministry to make an example of them." Hermione looked at Draco and opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Draco moved on her and his mouth came down over hers. It was as if he was telling her that they didn't need words to show their love to one another. He kissed her with sweet abandon, their tongues intertwining in a succulent, breathtaking kiss.

"Severus please cast the second spell on our amorous pair." Snape resisted, but when Dumbledore demanded that he do it he finally relented and in an angry voice he cast the second spell. "…You will wear the mark of your sins for all to see and shudder at, and in so they will know that all actions reap consequences." Then with sorrowful eyes he cast the spell over Draco and Hermione and the law went into effect. Hermione looked at Draco and she couldn't believe her eyes. Over his head was a black cloud and inside the cloud was written the word _Fornicator. _She stood and gazed in the antique mirror that hung on the wall of the common room just above the fireplace and tears sprang from her eyes when she read the word _Trollup_ in the black cloud that hung over head.

"They're barely adults. This is an abomination of mass proportion, Albus," McGonagall cried and Dumbledore comforted the aging witch.

"I don't like to see this anymore than you do Minerva, but please, I need you to cast the final spell of the Dishonorable Laws. Let's put an end to this horrific scene. It must be done and there is nothing that any of us can do. My hands are tied."

Draco stood and wrapped his arms around Hermione and hugged her into his chest as she cried. She loved him so much that they could have written the words _Mudblood Whore_ over her head and she wouldn't have regretted making love to Draco, not even for a second. Nothing would come between them, absolutely _nothing_. The only thing it served to do was to make her love him all that much more.

"I Minerva McGonagall, Professor of Transfiguration, do hereby declare that Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy shall be transformed into bridge trolls, until which time that the spell shall be broken." The last spell was the worst of the three and Hermione backpedaled when she found herself in the arms of the scariest looking creature that she had ever lain eyes upon. His face was pale and he wore a blond uni-brow. A five o'clock shadow peppered his pocked jaw and chin. His nostrils flared out to form two perfect circles and his nose was upturned so that the nostrils were the first thing you saw when you looked at him. His hands were pudgy and calloused and his squat body was in direct contrast to his enormous feet. His jaw was open as he stared at Hermione in absolute terror. She gulped when she gazed into the mirror. Her skin was a light orange in color, and she was reminded of what the Oompa Loompas from an old, muggle movie looked like. Her bushy hair had grown even bushier and there were twigs and vines tangled in the brush that was now her hair. Her once firm breasts sagged down to her waist and her shapely and rounded bum was as wide as the river Thames.

Draco was in a rage as she could see his lips moving though she could hear no sound. A malevolent sneer was plastered to his face and his eyes were wild with rage.

"I deeply regret this. I am so very sorry," Dumbledore offered up an apology, though it did nothing to comfort either of them. He had the nerve then to ask them if they had any news on the Lost Looking Glass of Lemuria, to which they both looked at one another and shook their heads. He had to have been certifiably insane to think that either of them would clue him in to the fact that the Headmaster of Hogwarts was standing directly underneath the lost artifact. "Hermione, you may be comforted to know that you are not the only female student to suffer the same consequences. You will have a guest who will be bunking with you in Ravenclaw. She will be here shortly after the _Dishonorable Laws_ are read to her and her chosen lover. Draco you will be moved to the Slytherin common room. It's unusual to have to do so as you will still be considered a part of Ravenclaw House. You will still have your meals together, the four of you, at the Ravenclaw table. If there are no questions then I will ask you Draco to gather your belongings and then you will leave with us at once." Hermione ran upstairs to Draco's room and threw herself onto the bed where she covered her head with a pillow. She felt his hand on the small of her back, touching her softly, but she dared not to look for she didn't want to see her beautiful and handsome boyfriend wearing the skin of a gnarled and hideous bridge troll. Just as he was about to leave though, she turned over and mouthed the words _I love you _to Draco. He reciprocated in turn and then he was gone and she was left all alone.

"It's horrendous what they've done to us. Harry was frightened when he looked at me. It was awful. I can't look like this Mudblood, I just can't!" Pansy said in a state of hysterics.

"We will get through this together. All of us," Hermione said and she hugged the Slytherin girl. "But if you ever call me Mudblood again, I'm going to rip your head off with my troll hands. You got that, Pansy?"

The girl nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Show me how this spell will be broken?" Hermione sad as she stood under the looking glass and asked it a question.

"Merlin, you and Draco found the looking glass," Pansy said when she entered the common room.

"Unbreakable vow, remember? Shhh," she said and she placed her finger to her lips. "Just watch." She became excited when she saw the blue swirl and then the vision came into focus. In it, Harry, Draco, Hermione and Pansy were walking down a cobblestone street in the dead of night and they were themselves. Harry and Pansy were holding hands and Draco had his arm around Hermione. They were _not_ trolls, and this fact gave Hermione hope.

"Look, we're both showing," Pansy pointed out and she rubbed her hand over her flat belly.

"Yes, by my estimation we look to be around three, perhaps four months pregnant. This isn't really helpful though. Do you know where we are? I don't recognize the place."

"Knockturn Alley," Pansy said as a matter-of-fact.

"No wonder I didn't recognize it," Hermione shook her troll head and a twig fell to the floor. "Draco's ring," Hermione said excitedly when she noticed an oddity in the vision. "That's not the ring he normally wears. That ring looks like a wedding band!"

"Oh yeah, look," Pansy pointed. "You and Draco are wearing matching bands. You must have gotten married in the middle of the night, probably by that Mudblood, Festerly Hooch. He has a place on Knockturn Alley. He's a Mudblood Minister who will marry any magical creature in the wizarding world, that otherwise wouldn't be able to get hitched via the proper channels, because of the Ministry laws. My father has been trying to run him out of town for years because it isn't right to mix blood like that."

"Shut up, Pansy. Blast I'm sick of listening to this racist shite. Look, you and Harry are wearing rings too. So that's it! We get the guys to marry us and it breaks the Dishonorable Laws." They both looked at each other and gulped. _How do you get someone to propose to you when you can't hear them speak and they can't hear you speak and when you look like a bloody bridge troll?_ They had their work cut out for them.

Review!?

As I have said in almost every one of my stories and will say again is that everything is not always as it seems. Let me know and thanks so much for the reviews!


	12. The Invisibility Cloak

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Twelve

Draco was laughing his arse off. He couldn't stop as he rolled on the floor of the Ravenclaw common room. Hermione however, did not find it remotely funny as the looking glass swirled a bright blue, signaling that the probability of them being turned into trolls was almost assured.

"Why are you laughing? You saw the blue swirl. What do you intend to do when Dumbledore, Snape and the other Professors' show up and turn us into bloody trolls, Draco?"

"I'm sorry Granger, but that was fucking funny. I mean, did you see your tits? You would have to side step in order to avoid walking on them," Draco laughed and Hermione gave him a playful smack before she too cracked a smile. "The answer is obvious, Granger. We blackmail Dumbledore."

"There is no way that you are a true Ravenclaw. We can't blackmail the Headmaster."

"Yes we can. You heard him in the vision. He wants the looking glass, so we use that. We get him to knock off two of the three _Dishonorable Laws_ in exchange for the looking glass. The question is which of those three do you want to live with for the next few months? I'm for being trolls. Troll sex could be kinky," Draco winked.

"You are truly disturbing," Hermione said and she shivered at the thought. "Wearing the sign was horrendous. I don't want to wear the sign announcing myself as a trollup, Draco."

"The sign didn't bother me in the least. If anything it was a nice advertisement saying that I like to fuck, which I in fact do, very much so," he chuckled again and Hermione smacked him again. "So then you don't want to hear my voice, purring in your ear when I come inside your hot, wet—"

"Stop! You're embarrassing me," Hermione blushed and Draco pulled her onto his lap where she straddled him.

"So we wear the signs then? Hermione, you're so fucking beautiful and I'll hex anyone who dares utter one bad thing about you. You're my trollup, baby doll," Draco said in a husky voice and then he captured her mouth with his as he went in for a deep snog.

"Mmm, signs it is," Hermione said through breathless moans as they snogged themselves silly on the sofa in the Ravenclaw common room.

"Well it's easy to see how such a turn of events occurred," Professor Dumbledore said when he suddenly appeared in the common room. He was flanked by Snape, McGonagall and Professor Flitwick and they were all staring at Hermione and Draco with a sense of disappointment playing over their faces. Draco smirked at Hermione.

"I know what you're going to say. Flitwick is disappointed in us. Don't bloody care. I love Hermione and she loves me. Dumbledore, you told our parents that Hermione is pregnant and now you're here to turn us into trolls. Not going to happen."

"Albus?" McGonagall said and she gaped. "How could he possibly know?" the aging witch asked.

"Ah, there is only one way that they could possibly know why we have come here on this evening. Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger found the Lost Looking Glass of Lemuria and unless I'm mistaken, these two bright, Ravenclaw students are about to one up their old, Headmaster with their impressive intellect. Yes?"

"Yes, Sir," Draco winked at Hermione.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I really owe you one Malfoy. Brilliant of you to blackmail Dumbledore. I don't know how you managed to do it, but Pansy and I owe you both big-time. It's a bit unfair that your sign says _Fornicator_ though, whereas mine says Pervert," Harry said with a straight face and Pansy, Draco and Hermione all bust up into a fit of laughter. Harry began to laugh as well and none of them could stop as they sat at the Ravenclaw table and ate their dinner together.

"How can you be laughing?" Ron said when he walked up onto the foursome. "It's sick. Everyone in the whole school knows that you shagged a ferret and that you," he pointed to Harry, "like putting your cock into that festering hole," he said and he pointed to Pansy.

"I'm just bloody dying to use an Unforgiveable Curse," Draco said and he rose from the table with his wand pointed at Ron.

"No, Malfoy," Harry said and he too stood from his seat. "Shut up Ron before I tell everyone your secret. Apologize to Pansy and Hermione and then get out of my sight."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me," Harry said. "Listen up everybody," Harry shouted and the Great Hall quieted down to listen to the great Harry Potter.

"Alright, Harry. I'm sorry Hermione and I'm sorry Pansy," Ron said and then he paced back to the Gryffindor table.

"Carry on then," Harry addressed the student body but they were all staring at the Ravenclaw table. That's when Draco stood up.

"I just want all of you to know that if you utter one fucking distasteful, rude or crass thing to Hermione, or if you even touch her in any way whether on purpose or by accident then I'll Avada your arses."

"Er…yeah same for me, but I won't Avada you, but it won't be pleasant what I _will_ do," Harry said and Hermione heard whispers, like a zoo of snakes hissing and she looked at Draco and shook her head before giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"It appears that we are all in this together, and since the looking glass has been turned over to Dumbledore for a worthy cause, I think that we should all get together and lay our cards on the table. That's why Pansy and I are proposing that you boys join us for a private get together tonight in the Ravenclaw common room."

"Make out party?" Draco asked with a hopeful expression.

"Get together I said, though I don't suppose that a little snogging will hurt anything, after all, the signs over our heads would indicate that we are predisposed to that sort of thing," Hermione said and she smirked. The whole table fell into laughter once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And so it went, that the four of them were forced together by events that were out of their control. It was strange to see Draco walking side by side with Harry Potter like regular mates each morning when they arrived in the Great Hall, and Hermione had even decided that Pansy wasn't all that bad when it came right down to it. She liked that she had somebody to share her morning sickness with, who understood full well what it felt like to be a witch who was in her first trimester of pregnancy.

Once the newness factor of the two couples wore off, and people got bored of talking about the signs over their heads, everything pretty much resumed to the way it was.

"Hermione, have you seen my Potions book?" Pansy asked when she walked into the common room wearing a tee shirt that she recognized as one of Harry's and her panties and nothing else.

"Yeah, you left it just over there on one of the desks." Hermione looked up though when she saw the portal open.

"Night then," Pansy said and she bounded up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Hermione scrunched her nose and stood up, throwing her hands on her hips when nobody came through the portal. It was a little early for McGonagall and her nightly bed check to make sure that both girls' were in their dorms for lights out. Hermione shrugged and went to sit back down but then nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt somebody underneath her.

"Draco!" she said when he threw the Invisibility cloak off of him and captured her in his arms. "Gosh I missed you. I hate sleeping without you. It's just not the same," Hermione said and she dropped butterfly kisses over his face and neck.

"Mmm, I only have an hour. Potter caught me with his cloak but he let me use it, so long as I don't dirty it up and I'm back in an hour so he can come visit Parkinson. Strip baby doll," Draco said and he wagged his eyebrows.

"Draco, McGonagall hasn't done bed checks yet," she said but his hands were already under her shirt and his thumbs were performing circles over her pebbled nipples. Her head fell back and she moaned. The portal opened and Hermione's eyes went wide as Draco scrambled to put the cloak back on.

"Pansy?" McGonagall called up the stairs when she didn't see the brunette in the common room.

"I'm here," she shouted back to Professor McGonagall. McGonagall crept up the stairs to check on Pansy. Really what she was doing was making sure that no boys' were in the room.

"Draco, your leg is sticking out. Pull it back in," Hermione whispered. She squirmed when she realized that she was sitting on Draco's hand.

"You should be off to bed Miss Granger. You need your sleep especially in your current condition."

"Yes, Ma'am," Hermione faked a yawn. She noticed Draco's Italian loafer on the floor in front of her and she began to panic.

"So when is the big date?"

"Uh, date for what?"

"Mr. Malfoy. He intends to marry you, does he not?"

"Oh," Hermione said and then she felt Draco's finger slip inside her panties. Her eyes fluttered open and then shut when she felt his warm digit enter her. She wanted to slap him right at that moment but with McGonagall standing there it was impossible to do or risk exposing him. "Draaaa—co and I haven't really talked about it."

"Well you should, and soon at that. You are only going to get bigger as the months wear on."

"Yes, Ma'am," Hermione said as Draco inserted another finger and then began to pump her with his digits. Her juices were flowing and all she wanted to do was spread her legs for him and let him touch her and taste her and have her in the way that she knew he wanted her.

"Are you alright?"

"Never better. I'm just tired. I will talk with Draco about ma-ma-marriage though. I promise."

"Goodnight Miss Granger. Get to bed now."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Marriage, huh? Is that what you women do, sit about and plot how to trap a man?"

"Draco, if I wasn't so horny right now I would slap the taste right out of your mouth for that comment," Hermione said and then she lifted her nightie over her head and her breasts spilled out as Draco feasted his eyes on her voluptuous, pregnant body.

Review!?

In light of the last chapter I figured I'd give you a little bit more tonight. This one is a little shorter than my normal chapters, but it's late and I am knackered. LoL Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* Note to MrsMalfoy288 my awesome beta. I received the chapters and will update edited versions tomorrow. I promise, and thank you so very much for all the work that you do.


	13. Room of Requirement

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Thirteen

With the use of the Invisibility cloak, Hermione was still able to get her fill of Draco, both in the figurative sense but also in the literal sense, as she pondered over their last interlude together, high in the Ravenclaw tower, where he had given her not one, but two, earth shattering orgasms. For as much as her first trimester of pregnancy sucked, because she was sick and tired, her second trimester of pregnancy ushered in a ravenous sex drive, and Draco being the slag that he was, was only too happy to fulfill that need. It wasn't just Hermione and Draco though; no, it was Harry and Pansy as well. More than once, Hermione had to cast the _muffliato_ spell in order to block out the sounds of their love making, so that she could get a little studying done. That night was no different either, as Hermione sat down on the sofa in the common room, her quill moving as fast as the Hogwarts Express and her nose planted in a book. She was studying for her N.E.W.T.s, while Harry and Pansy fucked like rabbits upstairs in the girls' dorms. Hermione, with wand extended in the air, didn't even get up as she cast the silencing charm so that she didn't have to hear their pillow talk. Two things of note; Pansy really did sound like a chipmunk in the sack (Draco had not lied about that), and Harry, well Harry was a dirty talker. _Shocking._ Who would have ever known? Hermione giggled to herself but then covered her mouth when a shirtless and panting Harry Potter plopped down on the chair across from where she studied.

"Hey 'Mione," Harry said, and his chest was covered in a sheen of sweat as he raked a hand through his hair.

"Living up to your name?" Hermione said and she smirked at her friend and pointed to the sign over his head that read, _Pervert_.

"Huh? Oh, that. Sorry you had to hear that," Harry blushed.

"It's alright. Harry, do you love Pansy? You can tell me to shut up and that it's none of my business, if you want to."

"Yes, I do. I mean, I've heard the rumors and I know I wasn't Pansy's first, or even second." _According to Draco it was probably more like ten or fifteen, _Hermione though to herself but she kept quiet. "I like different sorts of things in the bedroom," Harry said uncomfortably. "I—I do belong in Slytherin, Hermione. Pansy really fits well with me, and I swear she has loads of Gryffindor courage. She isn't afraid to try anything and—"

"Honestly, Harry, you really don't need to tell me. If she makes you happy then that's enough for me," Hermione said and she held her hand up to shush him.

"Watch over her,'Mione? I'm worried about Voldemort taking her."

"Pansy? Why would he want to take Pansy?"

"Because of the baby. My baby. Pansy doesn't know I know it, but I snitched through her things. I found this," Harry said and he passed Hermione a parchment.

"Snooping through her things? Mighty Slytherin of you Harry," she said and she unrolled the parchment. It was stamped with a seal that said property of Sybil Trelawney. Sybil had gone missing since their sixth year, and many believed that Voldemort had killed her because of her seer abilities. Hermione didn't miss her, because she hated Divination class, but it was sad when anyone went missing. She held the parchment up and read it aloud. "Two sides of the same coin, from the innocent and the pure, in the place where all knowledge exists, a seed grows. Protected by an ancient magic, the child will bring about the doom of H_e who must not be named_," Hermione read it aloud as she tapped her quill on her chin, deep in thought. "You think this refers to you and Pansy's baby?"

"Yes, I mean the place where all knowledge exists has to be Hogwarts, right?"

"Yeah, I concur, at least about that. It mentions ancient magic though. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Well, it was old magic my Mum used to protect me from Voldemort. Old is the same thing as ancient, isn't it?"

"Not necessarily," Hermione said, though something was bothering her about the prophecy.

"Two sides of the same coin?"

"Well, I mean I was a virgin and Pansy, well, she was experienced."

"Innocent and pure?"

"I guess that's the baby. I dunno Hermione. I just know that Pansy is scared to death that Voldemort is going to kill our baby because he thinks that any child of mine will have the power to kill him, just like he thinks I do."

"Well, logically speaking, I would have to agree with you. I could see Voldemort thinking that. I'm sorry, Harry. I will keep a watch over Pansy for you."

"I don't want Pansy to ever have to go into the Room of Doom."

"The Room of Doom?"

"Well, that's what I call it. It's bloody terrifying," Harry gulped. "It's full of bogarts. I managed to get out, finally. That's where I woke up. It's inside the Shrieking Shack."

"Dementors?" Hermione asked, knowing full well that Harry was terrified of the dark creatures from Azkaban.

"Yeah. So anyways, Pansy thinks Lucius is up to something in the Room of Requirement, which is why he was using polyjuice and pretending to be me. Malfoy and I have a code word now, so that he can know when it's not me. He doesn't want me telling you any of this, 'Mione. He's terrified of his Father and I guess… What he may do to you. He nearly killed Draco over Christmas break, and Snape and his Mum had to save him."

Hermione began to tear up. She knew something awful had happened to Draco over Christmas, but she could never get him to talk about it. It was good that he was confiding in Harry, albeit strange. Events had forced them all together, and in an odd way, it created a bond, one that seemed to include a sort of friendship between her boyfriend and Harry Potter, even if it was based on mutual fears and goals, it was nice.

"Yeah, so we're handling it," Harry said and Hermione chuckled. "What? I just said that Malfoy and I are working on this, trying to find out what Lucius is up to. You just keep an eye on Pansy. Let us know if anything seems out of the ordinary. Oh, and Pansy is probably going to ask you something. Keep an open mind," Harry said and he stood to leave.

"Harry, you need my help on this."

"That's why I showed you the parchment. Malfoy doesn't want you involved though, so you probably shouldn't mention it to him. He's overly possessive of you. Do you like that?"

"I can handle Draco, Harry. I'm sure his heart is in the right place, but he's really a stupid prat if he thinks he doesn't need my help on this," Hermione said and Harry's eyebrows flew up.

"I thought you loved him."

"I do love him, but it doesn't change the fact that he's a prat, one that I want to snog silly," Hermione said as an afterthought. "Isn't your time up?" Hermione asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"Yeah, shoot, I've got to go. Malfoy is probably going over which hex he's going to throw at me when I enter the Slytherin common room," Harry chuckled as he threw the Invisibility cloak over his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco ran his pale fingers over her nude form, stopping at the noticeable bulge in her abdomen. He dipped his head and brushed his lips against her protruding belly and Hermione smiled. "Has it moved yet?" Draco asked.

"No, but Madame Pomphrey assures me that I could start to feel movements any day now." Draco slid up next to her and wrapped himself around her in a post coital embrace.

"Harry asked if I would be his best man. Said, that wanker, Weaselbee, declined, on the grounds that he was marrying Pansy and not his sister, that redheaded bint."

"Pansy asked me to be her maid of honor. They plan to elope, Draco."

"In light of all the shit Potter is caught up in, I can't say that I blame them."

"Still, I think it's rather rushed, don't you? They're both so young still. I mean sure, yeah right now they love each other, but what happens in five years, when they look at one another and realize that they made a mistake?" Hermione said.

"Mmm, I agree."

"Good," Hermione said and she let out a sigh of relief. "For a minute there, I thought that you were going to suggest that we follow suit and do the same," Hermione laughed.

"Well," Draco said and he paused.

"You can't be serious? Draco, you told me yourself that you either wanted to be an alchemist or that you wanted to be a barrister for the Wizengamot at the Ministry. By the way you out maneuvered Dumbledore and got our sentence reduced from troll-hood to _Fornicator_ and _Trollup_, I think you'd make a very good barrister. You want to throw all that away?"

"No, of course not."

"Then you expect me to throw _my_ dreams away? I want to make a difference in the wizarding world. I don't sit here and memorize every book that I read in order to stay home and knit hideous jumpers for a brood of Malfoy spawn. No, I will not marry you."

"_Fuck_ Granger, I didn't even ask you, nor was I going to. I need to go," Draco said and he swung his legs over the bed and buried his head in his hands. She had clearly wounded him, and she started to feel guilty for it. It wasn't that she hadn't entertained the thought of marriage, she had. It just wasn't on her bucket list of _things to do_ in the next five years. Hermione had carefully laid out a plan for herself, and nowhere within that plan was there a snarky blond who fucked like a thoroughbred racehorse, nor was there a baby in that future either-one that would need full time care.

"Don't go," Hermione said and she knelt on the bed and raked her fingers over his pale back while she dropped kisses over his neck and shoulder. "I love you, Draco. I do, so don't doubt that. Make love to me again before you go. This pregnancy has me hornier than a pixie. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Marriage is just a _huge_ step." Draco captured her in his arms and then flipped her over onto her hands and knees, giving her what she wanted and then some.

~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~

When it happened, Hermione wanted to crawl inside a hole and die. That's how mortifying the experience was. Being flattened by the Knight Bus sounded more appealing than the actuality of what really happened.

"Miss Granger? Please continue," Professor Flitwick said but Hermione's face turned beat red and everyone in the class began to snicker under their breaths. She was to give a demonstration on the proper way to perform a Bird-Conjuring Charm, but when she stood from her desk, she accidentally let one rip. She froze on the spot, and when she looked to Draco, he was smirking as he pinched his nostrils closed with his fingertips. It was a bad one too, and the whole room stunk as Hermione stood there, fumbling for her words.

"Merlin, what did you eat for breakfast, Hermione?" Ron bit out.

"Shut up Weasel, you should be used to the stench since it smells like your mother's cooking," Draco defended.

"Smells like a thestral crawled up her and died," Seamus Finnegan said and the whole class began to laugh at Hermione. She grabbed her book bag and tore from the classroom, where she spent the next thirty minutes sobbing in the loo inside one of the stalls.

"I get gas too. We can't help it, Granger," Pansy said through the stall. "It's just part of it. If that had been me, I'd have asked that stupid arse, Finnegan, if he enjoyed the taste of my shit," Pansy said and Hermione cracked a smile, even in spite of the tears that trailed down her cheeks.

"Hey, Draco," she heard Pansy say, and Hermione covered her face with her hands.

"Come on out, Granger."

"No. You're going to make fun of me."

"Probably, but so what? You can tell me where to shove it, and then I'll taunt you some more and then you'll threaten to hex me. That's how it works with us. Now get your arse out of there, or I'm coming in."

"Were you completely revolted?" Hermione asked, feeling vulnerable as she leaned against the stall door.

"Are you joking? Of course I was."

"I hate you, Malfoy."

"Alright, I wasn't _completely_ revolted. Partially perhaps, but I still want to fuck you," Draco said through the door.

"Still love me, you stupid cockroach?"

"Hmm," Draco said and Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I think I do, Mudblood. Now come on out."

"That was mean," Hermione said as she opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

"You love me," Draco said and he snaked his arm around her shoulder as they left the bathroom.

"I should have my head examined."

~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry and Pansy were at it again, and Hermione was in no mood to deal with it. She liked Pansy okay and all, it wasn't that, it was just that she preferred to share the Ravenclaw common room and dorms, with Draco. They got on much better, and she was used to studying with the blond. She missed their in depth conversations. She missed the way Draco would rake a pale hand through his hair and sigh when a subject bored him. She longed for his kiss and his touch and his warm body next to hers on those cold winters nights. Hell, she just missed _him_. It was cruel to separate them, as they were the only two Ravenclaws in the entire school. Furthermore, the pregnancy was making her irritable, so she gathered her books and decided to head down to the library. It was still open for another hour and she could at least read in silence. It beat the hell out of listening to Harry's lewd and crude musings, and Pansy's pleasure driven chirps.

"Hey, Pansy," Hermione said, when she passed her on the stairs on her way down, en route to the library.

"What Mudblood?" the girl asked and Hermione stopped on the moving staircases. She knew for a fact that Harry and Pansy were screwing like rabbits in the Ravenclaw dorms.

"Where ya' going? Want some company?"

"With you? No," Pansy said and she sneered at Hermione.

"Odd, since I'm practically your best friend, Pansy."

"Oh yeah, I must have forgot," Pansy said in an attempt to cover up her mistake.

"You're not Pansy. Who are you, really?"

"_Petrificus Total_us!"

~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~

"'Mione, you alright?" Ron said, and Hermione stumbled to her feet. She looked up to see Ron and Seamus standing over her. She did a double take when she noticed their hands laced together at their sides. Ron quickly dropped Seamus's hand when her eyes went wide. "Who did this to you?"

"Uhh," Hermione said placing her hands over her middle to make sure that everything was alright with the baby. She would have to pay a visit to Madame Pomphrey in the hospital wing, later. "I don't know. Thanks, Ron, Seamus," she said and then she climbed the rest of the way up the stairs and rounded the corner. The seventh floor was empty, and Hermione was sure that she knew where the fake, polyjuiced Pansy was headed. She was livid and she had her wand out. In retrospect, she probably should have informed Dumbledore, rather than going to investigate herself, but she wouldn't come to that conclusion until much later_. Much, much later._ If she had, then she could have saved herself a world of trouble, and Draco too, but Hermione being the brightest witch of her age, felt that she could handle _one_ female death eater, despite the fact that she was five months pregnant and only a seventh year student at Hogwarts. Besides, it annoyed her to no end that Harry and Draco thought they didn't need her help. She quirked an eyebrow when she passed the place where she knew the Room of Requirement laid.

"I'd like a nice quiet place to read and write," Hermione said and the door appeared in the wall where it swung open.

The room was dusty and dirty and full of old furniture and books. Hermione hid behind an antique roll top desk when she heard voices. It was uncomfortable to crouch down, her girth becoming a growing problem. That's when she accidently kicked the automatic quill and ink well that was lying on the floor in front of her. It started to write. It looked like it hadn't been used in a hundred years, and dust caked the parchment that lay under it as it moved along the paper at rapid pace, just what it was writing though, she hadn't the foggiest clue.

"You're a complete imbecile, Lucius. _See,_ I fixed the vanishing cabinet."

"You didn't fix it, Bellatrix, otherwise I'd be standing here with Knott and Flint. They too stepped into the vanishing cabinet at _Borgin and Burkes_. Do you see them here?" Lucius Malfoy howled furiously. "We cannot lead a stand against Dumbledore and his army, if only one of us can get through the cabinet."

"Well, I did better than you. At least I got it working a bit."

"Do you want to tell the Dark Lord that the cabinet works…a _bit_?"

"No, I 'spose you have a point," Bellatrix replied in a thick cockney accent. She was the one who hit her with the body bind spell. She recognized the voice.

"I will continue work on the cabinet. Did you manage to get a strand of Harry Potter's hair?"

"No, I didn't," Bellatrix spat. "He's in the bloody Ravenclaw room and I couldn't get past the riddle at the door."

"Yes, well you never were very bright, were you?" Lucius said in an upper crust, chilly tone. "The Dark Lord wants you back with him. He's taking you off this project upon my request."

"Why? You couldn't fix the bloody thing any better than I could. That's not fair. Why should he show you favor over me?"

"He's asked me to recruit my son. He seems to think that perhaps Draco can fix the cabinet where I cannot. It's preposterous of course. Draco has been nothing but a failure to me."

"Are you questioning the Dark Lord?"

"No, of course not. I just wish that I'd finished him off before he had the opportunity to tarnish the family name. Refusing to join the sacred order of the Death Eaters, is not something I can easily forgive."

"Going to use Imperius on him?"

"No, Voldemort has other plans for him. He will take his place at my side, as my son, whether he wants to or not."

"Yer' gonna use the Mudblood as leverage, I take it?" Bellatrix asked and Hermione shuddered upon hearing those particular words.

"Yes, yes, dirty business," he laughed. "Draco won't be a problem anymore."

She listened as Bellatrix departed and then when the room fell silent, she let out the breath that she'd been holding. She shifted her body weight and realized that she was rather pinned in between the desk and an old mirror. She struggled to stand and that's when the first stabbing pain ricocheted through her middle as it fanned out and spread to her back. She winced in pain.

"Oh shit," Hermione said when the pain became excruciating. If she had to guess, she was having a contraction. It felt how the books had described it. The fall on the stairs must have been worse than she imagined. She had to get to the hospital wing.

"Miss Granger, isn't it?" Lucius said, standing over her with wand in hand.

"Y—yes. I was meeting Dumbledore here. He should be here at any moment," Hermione lied.

"You're lying, Mudblood. You heard everything we said, didn't you?"

"I just got here. I didn't hear a thing."

"I'm going to have to kill you now. You know this, right? I can't have you running to Dumbledore or your little friend, Harry Potter."

"I won't say anything. I promise I won't. Besides, if you kill me, then you won't be able to use me in order to control Draco," Hermione said when she saw the maniacal expression on Lucius's face and when his wand stabbed into her cheek just a little harder. Her lips were quivering, and for the life of her she could not reach her wand, which had dropped out of her hands when the contraction hit her.

"I can't kill you. Not yet anyways," the older blond said with an heir of disappointment in his voice. "However, I can't allow you to know our plans either. The Dark Lord frowns on such mistakes. I should have checked that the room was secure before I uttered a single word."

"Please, just let me go. I won't say anything, I swear it. I'll even help you to recruit Draco to the Death Eaters. I can be an ally."

"You would do that for me?" Lucius asked and Hermione nodded. "Do you really take me for that much of a fool?" _Well you are fool, unlike your son who is a thousand times smarter than you and better than you in every single way,_ Hermione said to herself.

"No, I do not think that of you, Sir."

"Granger? You in here?" she heard Draco's voice and her expression was full of hope. "Weaselbee told Potter that you had a fall on the stairs? Granger? I'm quite worried. Answer if you're in here. I already checked everywhere else."

"Draco. I'm here!"

"Say bye to that pretty little brain of yours, Mudblood," Lucius whispered in her ear. "Obliviate!"

**Review!?**

**Author's note:** I am sorry this chapter took a little bit longer to get out. I wanted to think about my plot, and then, whilst I was doing that, I actually got caught up in one of my other stories and ended up writing a 35,000 word story in like five days. I think after I wrote the trolls bit in this story, I realized that I really needed to write some full on fantasy romance, so I decided to try my hand at writing some Merthur. It's finished if anyone is into the Merlin/Arthur bromance. It is a love story, set in Camelot and based on the BBC show Merlin. You can read it here on my other penname JABFantasy. It's slash, but it is a very good story with a lot of fantasy elements in it, which is always fun for me to write. I think when I write fantasy my writing improves drastically. At least it feels like it flows better to me. There is a link in my profile. I have a Drarry there, which is a story I already finished but haven't posted. I have to be honest, I much prefer Dramione to Drarry, but a friend who is also an author on here, and likes the way i write male characters, dared me to write some slash, so i did. I don't do many lemons when writing Slash, I think there is one real lemon in the Lords of Light and Knight Merthur story, and the rest are limes. My future is in writing male/female fantasy romance, but every now and then, it is fun to try something different. I am pretty proud of the story, but now my head is back in this story lol The next few chapters will be from Draco's POV, and sorry for leaving you all on a bit of a cliffhanger. Muggles-clue for the next chapter. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing!


	14. Muggles

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Fourteen

Draco paced outside the hospital wing with the frantic look of worry playing over his ghostly white face. When he found her, she was staring off into space, unblinking, and when he saw the blood that had seeped through her pants in her nether region, for a moment he thought she was dead. He carried her to the hospital, tight in his arms and then Dumbledore and professor Snape had to physically remove him from the ward so that Madame Pomphrey could work on his girlfriend.

"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said when he finally whisked through the doors of the hospital wing. He laid a firm hand on Draco's shoulder and that's when he knew that it wasn't good news. "The baby is alright." _Sweet relief,_ he thought to himself. "She will need to rest for a couple of days, but the pregnancy should go on undisturbed."

"Brilliant," he said overjoyed. "I want to see her," Draco insisted and he tried to push past the Headmaster, but he was once again stopped.

"Draco, Miss Granger is not herself. Tell me, did you see anyone else in the Room of Requirement when you found Hermione?"

"No. I told you what I saw. I want to go see her now."

"It wouldn't do you any good. You see, someone used the _Obliviate_ spell on her. She doesn't even know that she's a witch."

"What?" Draco said and he doubled over with his hands on his knees as he tried to process what he had just heard. It was as if someone had punched him in the gut, and all of the wind was knocked out of him. "Well bring her memory back!" he finally bit out.

"I can't. Draco, her parents have decided to take her home. I'm very sorry, dear boy."

"No! They can't do that. What about her N.E.W.T.s? There's only a month left of school before graduation. The Ministry job," he said when he remembered the promise from Professor Flitwick. "We found the Lost Looking Glass of Lemuria for you and in so, one of us was to get a Ministry job after graduation."

"The job, will of course go to you, so you needn't worry about that. Miss Granger, however, has no memory of anything magical. She seems to remember who she is and where she comes from, and most things about her muggle life prior to arriving at Hogwarts, but she is terribly afraid and she doesn't know where she is. I've sent Hagrid to collect her parents. They will be here shortly to take her home."

"No! I want to see her."

"I'm sorry Draco, but it would only serve to frighten her more. Madame Pomphrey is giving her a sleeping potion to calm her nerves and allow her to rest."

~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~

"We can get a penseive, and put all of our memories of Hermione into it," Harry Potter said as they sat at the breakfast table and whispered in hushed tones. "I'll gather memories from the whole student body and the teachers. Come on mate, it's going to be alright," Harry said to Draco and he laid his hand on Draco's shoulder and squeezed.

"Thanks. I've got to go."

"Where will you go?" Pansy asked. "You have N.E.W.T.s. If you go you'll fail the year."

"If Hermione is dropping out of school, then I 'spose I am as well. Potter, do you know where she-"

"Yeah, I do," Harry said, cutting him off. "I can give you her Mum and Dad's address. Draco, you are aware that her parents are Muggles, right?"

"Yeah, of course I'm aware."

"Do you know anything about Muggles?"

"No, but I reckon I'm going to get a crash course in all things muggle," Draco replied and he gathered his things to leave.

"Good luck. I will speak to Dumbldedore and see if I can't set about gathering memories from everyone. Between Ron and me, we can put back a lot that was taken, but it's on you to bring our girl back. I can't leave Pansy, not with Voldemort out there. Owl me, if you need anything at all," Harry Potter said and he scrawled something down on a piece of parchment and passed it to Draco. "Good luck."

"Thanks, I will," Draco said and he left Hogwarts for muggle London.

~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~

The muggle world was odd indeed. There were strange boxy things with wheels on them, that rolled along the pavement. Draco was nearly flattened by one of them when he stepped through the portal at the Leaky Cauldron and found himself in muggle London. From there, he followed Harry Potter's instructions to the letter and he found himself inside what muggles called a taxi. He handed the driver the address that Harry had written down for him and the driver nodded and then he pushed his foot on something and the coach he was in shot off like a canon. It damned sure wasn't like any coach he'd ever been in before and he found himself terrified as there were coaches everywhere, and they got in a jam up and then all of the coaches began to make alarming noises and Draco covered his ears to shut out the obnoxious sirens.

"We're 'ere," the driver said and the coach stopped in front of a house. It was much smaller than his former home at Malfoy Manor, but the lawn was neatly manicured and in the drive there were two coaches, one blue and the other silver. The taxi cab driver held out his hand and Draco assumed that he expected payment-everyone always did both in the wizarding world and in the muggle world it seemed. He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a velvet pouch that was filled to the brim with gold galleons. He dropped three into the driver's hand and then watched as the muggle's eyes went wide.

"Is dat 'dere gold?" he asked and at that Draco decided that he had given him too much money, so he took two of the galleons back and then sneered at the driver before getting out of the coach.

It had been a week since he'd seen Hermione, and he missed her, so he hurried to the door and then knocked. "Yes, can we help you?" a middle-aged woman with chestnut colored hair said when she swung the door open.

"I'm here to see Hermione."

"I'm sorry, but she's not here. She's at school. Are you one of the boys from her new school?"

"What? No," Draco said perplexed.

"I see. Honey," she called out and a man came to the door. "This boy is here to see Hermione. I think he's from that other place," she said and her eyes fell to the wand that was sticking out of the pocket of his trousers.

"Hermione has nothing to do with your world anymore. You need to go and please never come back," the man, who he had to assume was her father said with an uptight expression and he closed the door on his face at that, locking it.

"Bloody rude," Draco said aloud. "_Alohomora_," he chanted and the lock unhinged itself as he pushed through the door. The man charged at him with a snarl on his face and without thinking, Draco hit him with a stunner. "Just sit down the both of you. I'm here to see Hermione and I'm not bloody leaving without seeing her, so we can either sit and have a nice chat or I can force you to see my way of thinking," Draco said in a manner that was befitting a Malfoy and one that Hermione probably wouldn't approve of. They were frightened of him as they sat hunched together on the sofa, with the look of worry in their eyes.

"You're that boy, the one that tormented her," the man said.

"Yeah, but that was _before_."

"Before what?" the woman asked.

"Before we put that behind us. Look, I am the father of the baby Hermione is carrying. Now if you would tell me where she is-"

"You think you can come in here, waving that bloody wand and demand of us to tell you where _our_ daughter is, after you admit that you got her pregnant?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I think. I love Hermione. She doesn't belong in this world. I am here to take her back."

"You will do no such thing. She has no recollection of being a witch and its better that way. You will get no help from us. If you were a proper gentleman you would have come to us and told us of her pregnancy and asked us for her hand in marriage. You will get nothing from us, and I don't care what you do to me with that wand," her father said with an angry expression and Draco sighed and raked a hand through his flaxen hair. Things were not going well, not well at all. _Muggles. Blast!_ And so they sat there, and waited. Her parents seemed interested in a box that was set on legs and erected on the floor. It projected two dimensional pictures from it. They called it a television. Draco was bored, so with nothing to do but wait for _his_ Hermione to arrive home, he too began to watch the moving pictures on the television.

"Why do you look at that box?"

"It's for entertainment."

"It doesn't seem entertaining, not when you're crying," he said in confusion. Something that was entertaining was supposed to be fun, wasn't it?

"It's the stories," Hermione's father said and he rolled his eyes. "Women like those shows. It makes them weep."

"Why do they watch something that makes them weep?"

"Because they're women," he said and Draco gave him a knowing nod. So Draco watched the stories on the muggle television. It seemed to be all about some sort of love triangle. There was a man who picked grapes, and who dressed horrendously and then there was a man who owned the grapes, and one was handsome and poor and the other handsome and wealthy. Then there was a woman who seemed to desire both of the men.

"Bethany fell in love with Marcus, but then she was in a car accident and she got amnesia and that's when Rex found her. Marcus is so hurt that Bethany is gone but Rex wants Bethany for himself, so he lied to Marcus and didn't tell him that he found her and that she's alive. It's all terribly sad," Mrs. Granger said and her husband looked at Draco and rolled his eyes.

"Which one is the rich one who owns the wine vineyard?" Draco asked becoming interested in the show.

"That's Marcus, but Rex hates him because Marcus swindled the vineyard out from under him, when Rex lost everything in the stock market."

"Well that's not Marcus's fault, is it? Just because he was clever and Rex was bloody stupid and didn't know how to run the business."

"It's tragic," her mother sobbed, and just then the door swung open and his love walked through it.

~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~

"How did you get my parents to let you up into my room? It's not like them to allow boys up here."

"We had a chat about it, and they came to my way of thinking," Draco said. _Because they're bloody afraid of me, because I'm a wizard._

"Hermione, do you remember me at all?"

"No, but you're cute. You dress nice like Marcus on the stories." _Well she thinks I'm cute, it's a start. Was that her first impression of me when she met me as a first year at Hogwarts? _Draco wondered to himself, as a smile spread across his face. Hermione appeared different. She had her hair scooped up into a ponytail and she was wearing a pink jumper that hid her growing bulge. He wondered if she even realized that she was pregnant, but his question was answered for him when she wriggled on the bed and put her hands over her swollen belly.

"Oh, the baby kicked! That felt strange," she said and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh, again."

"Can I feel it?" Draco asked, excited.

"Umm, I don't know you. I shouldn't really be in here with you. You should go."

"Hermione, you do know me. Here," he said and he reached into his pocket and pulled out her wand. He'd picked it up off the floor in the Room of Requirement and stowed it away for her. Where Dumbledore may have given up on the brightest witch of her age, Draco would not. If anyone could ever come back from the _Obliviate_ curse, it was her. She knew her magic backwards and forwards, better than anyone else, so he had high hopes that some spark would ignite her memory. He passed her the wand.

"A stick? Why are you giving me a stick?"

"It's a wand. Don't you recognize it?"

"A wand? You mean like the things sorcerors' use? Like Merlin?" she asked.

"Precisely! Can you make it work?"

"Don't be silly. Sorcerors' aren't real," Hermione said and she tossed her wand on the floor and turned back to her muggle studies.

"They are real. I'm one, and so are you."

"Are you mental? I want you to leave," she said and she stood and paced to the door where she opened it and then motioned for him to leave.

"_Colloportus_," Draco said and he waved his wand. The door slammed shut and Hermione looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights, as a panic swept across her face. She tried to open the door, but it was sealed shut.

"How did you do that?"

"You saw how I did it. If you want to open it, then use your wand, Granger." She stared at him and then tears welled in her eyes.

"You're frightening me. Please open the door."

"Alright," Draco said. He couldn't bear to see her cry. "The spell is _Alohomora_. You've cast it thousands of times. Any first year student can perform it. Practice it. Point your wand at the door and feel your magic Hermione, and then say the word."

~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~

"Did you get the memories?" Draco asked when he saw Potter leaving the Transfiguration classroom.

"I got them, but Dumbledore won't give me the bloody Penseive."

"Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said and she raised an eyebrow. "Why haven't I seen you in class?"

"Been busy," he said and he turned back to Potter.

"I think it's noble what you are trying to do for Miss Granger. It's a dreadful shame what happened to her, but your trying to help her comes at your own expense. Your N.E.W.T.s are fast approaching, and without the review that myself and your other Professors' are teaching, you don't stand a chance of passing them. You won't graduate."

"Then I won't bloody graduate!" Draco fired back, angrily.

"If you're not in my class tomorrow, then you will forfeit your chance to take the exam. I'm sorry."

"What is wrong with you?" Harry Potter shouted at the Professor. "Hermione was the top student in your class and every class. He's trying to help her, which is more than I can about you lot."

~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~

"Draco, you can't throw your life away. I want Hermione back as much as anybody, and I support what you're doing, but—"

"Just give me the memories, Potter."

"Yeah, sure, but without a Penseive, it's worthless."

"I'll get the Penseive."

"How? It's locked in Dumbledore's office?" Harry asked.

"I'll get it."

"It's probably better that I don't know," Harry said and Draco smirked.

~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~

Draco spent the night on the Grangers' sofa and when he awoke he looked at the cuckoo clock on the wall above the fireplace. He would not make it to Transfiguration class, not that day and not any day, not unless Hermione was with him, sitting in the desk next to him, with her know it all hand raised high in the air.

"She went to the park with Roger," Hermione's mother said when Draco found her room empty and inquired upon where she had gotten off to. Draco narrowed his eyes on the woman. "It's that way," she pointed, her face fearful.

He walked down the suburban street, feeling completely out of place. People stared at him with odd expressions marking their dull, muggle faces. His clothes were different and he just looked out of place. He would have to ask Mrs. Granger where he could find some muggle clothes, so that he didn't stick out like such a sore thumb, which he most certainly did. He chuckled to himself at the thought of what his mother and father would say to him if they knew that their pure-blood son was in muggle London and wearing muggle clothes. _Priceless._

"Just go back to whatever fucking muggle things you were doing," he hissed at a man who was combing the leaves in his yard with an odd looking brush for the grass. _Roger. Who in the bloody hell is that? _He saw a sign that said Municipal Park and he cut through the grass as he quickened his step. That's when he saw her. _His_ beautiful Hermione, sat leisurely on a red and white, checkered, picnic blanket and she was laughing and blushing as she bit into an apple.

"Oh, Roger, don't make me laugh! I can't believe you did that to the teacher." Draco glared when he saw the chap that was with her. He was tall, with dark hair and muscles, muscles that made his head look far too small for his body. He sat on the blanket next to Hermione and when Roger reached for her hand, lacing his fingers in hers, Draco pulled out his wand. _Avada ked—no Draco just calm yourself_, he told himself.

"Stupefy," he shouted instead and the muggle was blown backwards.

"Roger?" Hermione shouted, and she looked dumbstruck. Her mouth fell open and then she turned and her warm, chestnut eyes were staring at Draco. "You? Didn't I tell you to get away from me? I can call the police you know," she threatened.

"You will _not_ bloody hold hands with that Muggle!" Draco said furiously. The man clamored to his feet, and Draco raised his wand on him again.

"Uh, bye Hermione. I'll be seeing you," he said in fear and then he turned tail and ran.

"That Muggle is the father of my baby."

"Is he now?" Draco said angrily as he hovered over her. She stood at that and got in his face, stabbing her finger into his chest.

"I think so, I can't really remember, but I've known him since we were tots, playing together in his paddling pool. It has to be him," she said.

"No, it's _not_ his child. It's _my_ child. You are a witch and I am a wizard Hermione, and we made a child together out of love," he said and then he took her in his arms. She pushed at him and tried to break free, but he wouldn't let her go, he would never let her go. His lips came down over hers and he gave her a bruising kiss. She struggled under his kiss, but he would not relent.

"You can't do that to me," she said and she shoved him hard and then her hand flew and she smacked him hard across the face.

Review!?

Next person who tells me that they hate me in reviews, I will kill off a character and it will be all your fault ;) lol hehehe I'm a Slytherin...don't assume I am bluffing lmao Seriously, thanks for reading and reviewing. I tried to get this out fast so you wouldn't have to wait, after that last cliffhanger.


	15. Stormy Skies

**The Ravenclaw Affair**

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Are you sure this looks good?" Draco asked Mrs. Granger as he stood in the muggle store, Harrod's, and modeled a pair of denim jeans and a polo shirt.

"Yeah, you look like the boys at Hermione's school," Mrs. Granger said with a smile, "Only classier. This store is a bit pricey, but you said that you wanted the best money could buy."

Shopping with Mrs. Granger was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. It reminded him of the days shopping with his own mother, days Draco always remembered fondly, and he found that he missed his Mum and furthermore, he had far too much time on his hands in order to think about all that he missed. Things with Hermione were not going well, and she had taken to closing herself off in her room in order to not spend any time with Draco. She had blushed in his arms though, that day at the park, so he knew that she felt something when he kissed her, even if she wasn't ready to admit it.

"I have a patient coming soon, so I need to get downstairs, but I wanted to know what you thought," Mrs. Granger said as she and Draco sat in front of the tele (that's what she called it, so Draco did too) and watched "the stories". She handed him a warm treat that smelled delicious. Draco took a bite of it and the taste of milk chocolate swirled in his mouth. "I just made them. They're always best, hot out of the oven. You want another oatmeal, chocolate chip, biscuit?" she asked and Draco nodded as he devoured the delectable treat. "We need milk to go along with this," she said and she sat down on the sofa next to Draco with a plate of warm biscuits (cookies to Americans) and two glasses of cold milk.

"You've really outdone yourself, Mrs. Granger," Draco said and the middle-aged woman blushed.

"Please, call me Jane. So what's Bethany up to today?"

"Oh, well Marcus ran into Bethany in town, but she didn't recognize him, so he followed her. I think he's going to kill Rex for keeping her from him."

"I hope he kisses her. I bet her memory comes back to her when he does. Oh it's so romantic!"

"Yeah, I don't think that will work, even if it is a nice thought," Draco said and in his mind he was comparing Bethany on the show, who had amnesia, to Hermione.

"Maybe Marcus should make her angry then. They didn't always have the nicest relationship. He used to ridicule her endlessly when they first met." That gave Draco an idea and he smirked to himself.

"Honestly, milk and cookies in front of the tele? Mum, he's never going to leave if you start treating him like family," Hermione said when she strode down the stairs and wandered into the family room.

"Your mother was just being polite to a guest," Draco fired back and Hermione scrunched her nose and threw her hand on her hip. It reminded Draco of _his_ Hermione and his heart sped up.

"An _uninvited_ guest," she scoffed as she plopped down in a chair and rested her hands on her growing belly.

"Alright, the coach, er—I mean the car, has been washed. We can go for that ride now, Draco," Hermione's father said as he entered through the front door.

"Go? Where are you going with my father?" she asked and she narrowed her eyes on Draco.

"Oh, he's going to teach me to drive a muggle car."

"Dad!" Hermione shouted. "You're taking him driving?"

"He asked me to teach him how to drive. I don't see the harm in it."

"Don't see the harm? Has everyone here gone mental?"

"Now, now," Mrs. Granger said, "Don't get yourself all worked up, Hermione. It's not good for you in your condition. I must admit that at first we had some trepidation about Draco being here, but now, well it's rather like having a son around."

"Mmhm," her father nodded with a cheery smile and Draco smirked at Hermione as he stood and slipped on his suede, sports jacket.

"Where are your trousers and your odd robes?" Hermione said when she noticed his new, muggle clothes.

"Your Mum took me shopping."

"Mum? You went shopping with Malfoy?"

"What did you call me?" Draco asked and he raised an eyebrow.

"I called you, Draco."

"No, you called me, Malfoy. I never told you my last name."

"Yes you did. Honestly, I'm going to my room. Have fun with your new son!" Hermione shouted from the top of the stairs.

"Hormones," Mrs. Granger said under her breath and Draco nodded as he stepped out the door with Hermione's father. Things were looking up after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco sifted through Dumbledore's things in search of the bloody penseive. It wasn't where Potter said it would be, on the shelf next to the sorting hat in Dumbledore's office. He did find an interesting locket though, made out of antique silver. He pocketed it.

"How did you get in here, boy?" Draco heard the voice of the Headmaster and he slowly turned around.

"I need the penseive."

"Oh, I know why you're here."

"How did you know?" Draco asked and Dumbledore pointed up to the glass eye that hovered over the ceiling of his office.

"The looking glass showed you that I would come?"

"Yes. I didn't believe anyone could break the wards though. I had to see it for my own eyes," the old man said in awe.

"Alright, well you caught me. Now, give me the penseive."

"I cannot. I'm sorry Draco, but the penseive is one of a kind. I can't give it to you."

"Hermione—"

"Will have others' memories of her if you use the penseive. It won't give her an accurate sense of self, dear boy, as nice as the gesture is. I know your heart is in the right place, but you can't do it this way. I am sorry."

"Bloody hell! So you want me to just give up? Give up on the smartest witch in this whole fucking school? My father was right about you."

"No, no you shouldn't give up. You've already had a breakthrough, and more will follow."

"How do you know that?" Draco said eying the aging Professor warily. He pointed up again to the looking glass and smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione was entirely too comfortable at her new school, which annoyed Draco to no end, so he decided to go to muggle school. A few winks to the secretary in the main office, and a few more waves of his wand and Draco Malfoy had an immunization record, an impressive transcript from a boarding school in France, and even a birth certificate with the alias, Drake Malloy. He of course, registered himself in _all_ of Hermione's classes. So in the morning, when he awoke on the couch, he showered and dressed in his new and spiffy muggle clothes, ate the breakfast that Mrs. Granger made for him and complimented her on her cooking, all while Hermione scowled at him from across the breakfast table.

"Draco, I packed you a lunch. I put in a special treat."

"Thank you Jane, you really are an angel," Draco said and Hermione's jaw hit the floor when her mother gave him a motherly kiss on the cheek. Draco beamed at Hermione.

"Seriously?" Hermione said and she dropped her fork on her plate, angrily.

"I packed yours too, dear. Plenty of fresh fruit and celery stalks. You're eating for two now, and you want your child to have healthy teeth."

"Don't forget our driving lessons after school." Hermione scoffed again.

"I surely won't, Dan."

"School?" Hermione questioned.

"Yes school, and you both better get a move on or Draco will be late on his first day of school."

"You're not going to _my_ school," the feisty witch said as she left out the door.

"But I am," Draco quipped as he took her book bag and slung it over his arm, carrying it for her. She sighed, but didn't protest as she waddled along next to him. "Been working on your spells at all? I slid a list under your door for you to practice with your wand."

"Draco, even if I were to believe that you might be the father of my baby—"

"Then you do believe it?"

"Yeah, I suppose that I do, but I just can't believe all of the stuff about witches, and wands and-"

"What brought on this sudden change of heart?" he asked, ignoring her last statement and rather concentrating on the fact that she believed that they were a couple. Feeling a sense of confidence, Draco slid his arm around her waist. He felt her tense up, but she didn't remove it, which gave him some small hope.

"When you kissed me. It felt—"

"Hot, and wanting for more?" Draco said, and Hermione slugged him in the arm.

"Familiar," she said, "And yes, oddly it was nice."

"I'm sorry, but could you speak up? I don't think I got that last bit."

"It felt nice, alright. Are you always this arrogant and conceited?"

"Pretty much, but you like that about me."

"I seriously doubt that," she said. Suddenly a bird landed on the top of a street lamp as they walked down the sidewalk, looking once again very much like a couple. Hermione stopped when she saw it and Draco watched her in awe as she stared at the black raven. "That bird," she said and she looked into Draco's eyes with those chocolate puddles that were as sweet as an oatmeal, chocolate chip bisquit. "What does it mean to me?"

"It's a raven. It has significance to both you and I. We lived in Ravenclaw House, Granger."

"Ravenclaw," she said aloud as they approached the school where hordes of students mulled about as they made their way inside the building. He walked with her to their first class, which Draco could have cared less about, and Hermione stopped by a broom closet. "I see that broom, and I have this adverse reaction to it? Why?"

"Brooms are used to fly," he whispered under his breath. "But you don't care for flying."

"I thought all witches liked to fly on broomstick?" Hermione said mockingly, still having a hard time believing anything that he said.

"You liked other things, Hermione," Draco said and he wagged his eyebrows at her.

"Revolting."

~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~

"Did you see the new boy, Drake Malloy?" Hermione heard a girl say as she made her way to the sink to wash her hands after using the loo. The baby pushed on her bladder and she felt as though it would be easier if she just moved into the loo as much as she was in there all the time. She rolled her eyes at the girl.

"I did. He's smoking hot," another girl said.

"There's something about him that's so mysterious," the first girl said and Hermione found herself annoyed. "Hermione, I saw you with him. Can you introduce us?"

"Uh, you know, you see…" Crystal Jeffers was the second biggest floozie in the whole school and everyone knew it. Second only to Beth Handy, a prototypical bleach blonde with hips like an hourglass and a chest like a porn star it was so big. "He's gay. Yeah, sorry Crystal, but Drake likes boys, not girls."

"Rubbish, he's outside in the hall talking to Beth right now. No, my gaydar is not going off." _What nerve? He invites himself into my home, follows me to school and then has the nerve to flirt up the biggest slut in the school?  
_

"Excuse me," Hermione said in thorough irritation. She strode from the bathroom where she stood behind Draco. The _arse_ was speaking French in an attempt to impress Beth Handy, and it was working, as the blonde batted her eyelashes at him and blushed. "Drake," Hermione said and she tapped Draco on the shoulder. He turned around and grinned at Hermione. "Walk me to the next class?"

"Piss off Hermione, I was talking to him first," Beth Handy said. "Besides, I'm sure that Drake isn't interested in fat, cows like you."

"You're lucky I don't hex you right now," Hermione said with narrowed eyes. "And you, you filthy little cockroach," she turned to Draco at that. "You're a complete slag!"

"Jealous, Mudblood?" he said, and when he did, a cyclone of memories toiled in her brain, all at once. She saw Draco, as a much younger boy and he was holding his wand on her and calling her awful names, and then she saw her fist colliding with his face. Enraged and unable to process the images she was seeing, she pulled back her arm and punched Draco square in the nose.

"Merlin, I'm sorry Draco!" she said as he staggered to the loo and held a wad of paper towels under his nose to catch the blood.

"Don't be sorry," the blond said. "You remembered me, didn't you?"

"Yes, and I remember that I hated you!"

~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~

Hermione was furious as she sat on her bed and twirled her wand in her hands. Draco was out having a driving lesson with her father, which was beyond annoying. It was her father, not his. Tears streamed down her face as the vision of a sneering Malfoy, looking his nose down on her and calling her much younger self, Mudblood, was replaying in her mind like a broken record. She couldn't make the vision stop, no matter what she did.

_CRACK_

Hermione jumped in fright when she looked up and saw the reflection of herself, bent and fractured and marred with thousands of cracks in the mirror. She stared down at her wand, that was unbeknownst to her, pointed at the mirror and she gulped. _Did I do that?_ She dug through the waste bin for the crumpled up piece of paper that she had tossed in there the previous night, the one where Draco had written down a list of spells for her to practice and she unraveled it.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_," she chanted, but nothing happened. _Just swish and flick,_ she heard her own voice instructing her. She tried the spell again, and she was tickled pink when it worked and her jewelry box began to float in midair.

"_Colloportus_," she said and the door slammed shut with force, locking itself. "I'm a witch!' she said through tears of joy, and then she went down every spell on Draco's short list, trying them all as things crashed and broke and floated in her muggle bedroom. She had to tell Draco.

~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~

"In answer to your question, yes, but only if Hermione will have you. Welcome to the family, Draco," Mr. Granger said and he clapped Draco on the back as they pulled into the driveway of the suburban home.

Draco was ecstatic. Hermione's father had given him permission to marry his daughter. Now all he had to do was get Granger to remember him as more than her childhood tormentor. He was forgetting something though and it was niggling at him. _A ring_, he said to himself.

"Dan, would it be alright if I borrowed the car for a bit. I'd like to go into the city. I don't have a ring for Hermione."

"I was young once too," he smiled. "Do you think you can handle the car?" Draco nodded.

"Ah, I left my money inside. I'll just run and get it. I appreciate everything, for muggles', you're not so bad," Draco winked and chuckled.

"Draco, I need to talk to you," Hermione said from the top of the stairs when he strode into the house with Mr. Granger.

"Hold that thought, Granger. I forgot something back at school," he lied, and he turned around to leave. He didn't get halfway through the yard though when he heard her voice.

"You aren't going over to Beth Handy's house, are you?" she said snidely and Draco smirked with his back turned to her.

"What if I am?" he said, slowly turning around.

"Then you'd be sorry."

"Oh?"

"Mmm," she said and Draco's eyes went wide when she raised her wand. A light rain began to fall, which wasn't anything new since it always rained in muggle London. Draco's suede jacket was being ruined as the rain began to pick up. He raised his hands when the witch pointed her wand at him.

"Did you remember how to use it then?" he asked, and his answer came to him in the form of a giant dirt clod that smacked against his face. "Fuck Granger," Draco said wiping the mud from his face.

"Mudblood,is what you call me," she said and then she waved her wand and the assault began as Draco ducked and dodge the flying mud-pies. "I remember that Harry and Ron are my friends. I'm in Gryffindor house, and you're in Slytherin. I hate Slytherin!" Draco was caked in mud as her furious assault continued.

"That was before Dumbledore found out that the old Sorting Hat was a horcrux," Draco shouted through the now pelting rain. "Then we were sorted into Ravenclaw. Don't you remember?"

"You're lying, Draco Malfoy!"

"No, I'm not. I love you Granger, and you love me," he shouted and the sound of thunder boomed overhead. Her normally bushy hair was slicked against her head, and her clothes hung from her body and Draco's eyes fell to her belly where his little girl resided. He wanted her. He wanted their baby too. Hermione trod through the grass where Draco stood, wand raised on him and a steely expression playing over her face. Draco wiped the mud from his face but stood his ground as the feisty witch stood before him.

"I want you out of my life. Go! Or so help me I will use an Unforgivable Curse on you. Now! Go!" she said and Draco gulped. He could see Dan and Jane Granger standing in the doorway with sympathetic frowns upon their faces.

"How can you remember all of that, and not remember how much it is that I love you?" Draco said and the pain he felt inside at that moment was worse than any Unforgivable Curse.

"The astronomy tower? Spanky? All the nights making love in my bed, high in the Ravenclaw tower? Nothing?"

"You have to go now," Hermione said firmly, her wand still pointed on Draco.

"Fuck!" he shouted as a lightning bolt hit a nearby tree and Hermione turned to go back inside. "I love you," he said as he turned and slowly, with his shoulders sagging, walked away from the witch he loved as the rain slashed against his face.

"You tried to steal the statue in the common room," he heard her shout through the storm. "You stole rugs and tapestries, and even a dragon egg. You're the biggest scoundrel and thief! You're a kleptomaniac, Draco Malfoy!" Hermione said and Draco whirled on his feet to face her.

"Yes," he called out to her.

"Spanky hurts, but I like it, even if I pretend that I don't," she said and she started through the yard towards him.

"Yes, Granger," Draco said and he opened his arms and held them out to her.

"And I love you. I'm crazy and should be locked in St. Mungo's for loving you, but I love you!" she shouted into the storm and then her arms were around his neck and their lips crashed together with frenzied need. Their kiss was frantic as their tongues intertwined, and Draco deepened the kiss. He wrapped loving arms around her and then Hermione was stroking his chest with her wet fingers. All he wanted to do at that moment was make love to his beautiful Hermione. "I remember Draco. Our N.E.W.T.s, Merlin you missed taking your N.E.W.T.s and so did I," she said. "We have to go back to Hogwarts, this instant!"

Review!?

Thank you all for the awesome reviews! I am going out of town for about a week, so in all likelihood the next chapter will not be up until I get back. It's possible I will find the time to pop off a chapter, but I can't promise that.


	16. His Penance

**The Ravenclaw Affair**

**Chapter Sixteen**

It was a foggy day in late spring and the sky began to drizzle as Draco walked around the grounds of the castle. With his hands shoved in his pockets and his eyes cast downwards, he was deep in thought.

"How come you're not taking your N.E.W.T.s like Hermione?" Draco looked up to see Harry Potter perched upon one of the low walls of the courtyard.

"Eh, it was such a nice day I decided that I wouldn't take my N.E.W.T.s and would instead go for a walk around the bloody castle." Harry Potter looked at him somberly.

"Dumbledore wouldn't let you take your N.E.W.T.s, huh?"

"No."

"Hermione know?"

"Hell no and it's going to stay that way," Draco said and he shot him a look of warning.

"What will you do? I overheard Snape telling Dumbledore that your father cut you off from your inheritance."

"Eavesdropping, Potter?"

"No, er—yes I suppose that I was. Sorry."

"I'm keeping my options open," Draco said under his breath. Truthfully he didn't know what he was going to do. He'd always just assumed that he would get a high ranking job at the ministry after graduation, but that dream was snuffed out when Dumbledore refused to let him take his N.E.W.T.s. Sure, he had offered to let Draco repeat the entire year, but with Hermione in the family way, and the war that was raging on, that prospect didn't seem likely. He needed a job and he needed one fast. The school year was nearly over and he had intended on asking Granger to marry him, even if he didn't have high hopes that she would say yes. For the first time in Draco's life he did not look good on paper. No money, no job and not even a Hogwarts graduate.

"Here, I came upon this in a pawn shop down on Diagon Alley," Harry said and he tossed something to Draco. He plucked it from the air and looked at it in astonishment. It was the Malfoy ring that bore the family crest upon it. He had hocked it to pay for new duds in London when Mrs. Granger had taken him shopping. "I was looking for a ring for Pansy when I recognized it. I thought you might like it back."

"I'll pay you back."

"I'm not worried about it. Did Hermione remember who obliviated her and why?"

"Not yet," Draco replied. "Some things are still foggy. That fucking arse of a headmaster is letting me stay in Ravenclaw so that I can jog her memory."

"Nice of him," Potter said with a smirk.

"Yeah, though I had to demand it of him. That and these stupid Unforgiveable Laws be suspended."

"I'd forgotten all about them. Don't reckon I care much what anyone thinks, which is why Pansy and I are eloping tomorrow night. I'm taking her far away, somewhere where Voldemort can't get to her."

"About bloody time you started living for yourself," Draco said and Harry gave him an odd look. "You don't mean to come back, do you?" Draco said surprised. "You do! Potter, for fucksakes, stop trying to be the bloody hero and just live your life."

"Dumbledore says—"

"Dumbledore is an old fool. You shouldn't trust him."

"Why shouldn't he trust Dumbledore?" Draco heard her voice and he spun around to see his heart standing before him with a quill in her hand and a raised eyebrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was showering and she wanted to surprise him, so she crept into the steamy shower room in the boys' dormitory and she peeled off her clothes. Her robes and maternity garments pooled around her feet as she pulled back the shower curtain and feasted her eyes on the naked blond. His chest was lathered up with soap and his eyes were closed as he raked his hands through his wet hair. She immediately felt a gush of wetness in her nether region as she stepped forward and brushed her fingers against his cleanly shaven face.

"I don't think Dumbledore would approve of this," Draco said when he opened his eyes and saw her. He smiled and looped his arms around her waist pulling her into him.

"Well you said that he's just an old fool," Hermione giggled. "Even if he is simply the _best_ for letting us take our N.E.W.T.s. Speaking of which, you never said how you think you did? Most of it was easy, don't you think?" she asked with bubbling enthusiasm as Draco's hand shot between her legs.

"Mmm," the blond purred, ignoring her question and then he gave her a slow and sensual kiss, one that sent chills down her spine. How she'd longed for those lips, even if she hadn't realized the longing, it was there nonetheless.

"What you did for me," Hermione said and she stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. "I can never repay you. Nobody would have blamed you if you had left me in muggle London with my parents. I'm glad you didn't though. I couldn't imagine losing everything, but most of all losing you. Draco—" she said but he shushed her when he placed a finger over her lips.

"Yes, you owe me big-time, and I intend to collect on that debt, so shower or bed?" he said with a smirk and Hermione chuckled out loud.

Her girth was becoming a problem as her belly was quite swollen with child and yet, they hadn't even picked out a name. Hell, they hadn't even really discussed much of anything pertaining to the baby. Draco laid Hermione down on his bed and crawled in between her legs as he languished kisses over her neck and breasts while Hermione mulled over baby names in her head. "I was thinking Rose if it were a girl, and Hugo if it were a boy."

"Rose is nice but Hugo is a bloody awful name," Draco said through ragged breaths as he parted her legs and kissed his way up her inner thigh.

"Oh—Gods that feels good," Hermione said and she melted when she felt his tongue on her. "What name if it's a boy then?" she bit out and then her hands raked through his soft locks of blond.

"It's a girl, I already told you that." Hermione smiled at him and then pushed his head back down on her as she writhed in ecstasy under his expert touch. There were some perks to dating the former Slytherin slag; he knew what he was doing that was for certain and she bucked on the bed when her climax took her to those heights that only Draco Malfoy could bring her to. Her eyes were half open as the sated feeling washed over her and then he knelt between her legs and she was all at once filled up by Draco. He moaned and she let her hands roam up his toned chest as he began to rock inside of her.

"Draco, I love you."

"Mmm, love you too," he purred and her eyes misted over as she watched him thrust inside of her. She felt a welling in her heart for the blond unlike anything she'd ever felt before and she found herself staring into majestic pools of silver that glimmered like the scales of a tropical fish in some exotic paradise. That's when she knew that she was really in love. It was as if he felt it too, as if they shared the same mind at that moment, because when she opened her mouth to ask him to marry her (to hell with ancient tradition, she was a witch of the new age) he beat her to the punch. "Marry me, Granger," he purred as he eased himself all of the way inside her, impaling her with his slicked cock.

"Yes," she said and then her head was in the clouds again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We can both get jobs at the Ministry of Magic, and we will just juggle taking care of the baby with our work. I was talking to one of the Professor's after I finished my N.E.W.T and he said that they have an opening in the Department of Mysteries. I was thinking that I would go for that job, and let you have the one that we earned when we found the looking glass. That's more my speed anyways. I would love to research all those lost artifacts."

"Sounds nice," Draco said but he cursed under his breath. Eventually, she would have to be told that she was engaged to be married to a wizard who would not be a graduate of Hogwarts and in so would not be eligible to work at the Ministry of Magic. It would be a crushing blow to Hermione, and she would undoubtedly feel responsible for it, which she wasn't. It was that twit of a headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, who preached of right and wrong and how it wouldn't be fair to all the other students who came before him and after him, if he broke the rules and let him take his N.E.W.T.s. Hermione was obliviated so letting her take the exams was the right thing to do, but Draco had conscientiously opted not to take them when he went after Hermione, and in so he had to pay the penalties of his actions. Dumbledore did offer an olive branch, though it was more of a dried, dead twig than a branch, in that he said that he could still graduate, though it would be with a lesser diploma, one that was given to less gifted wizards who were no better than a lowly squib in Draco's opinion. It was beneath him, so he disregarded it. The only reason he was even permitted to stay at Hogwarts and finish out the term, was for Hermione's sake. He was there to jog her memory, so that Dumbledore could know of Voldemort's plans. Draco was expendable in the eyes of the aging wizard. Sure, Snape had fought for him, and even McGonagal did an about face and begged the Headmaster to allow him to complete his studies, but in the end Dumbledore used the excuse that his hands were tied by the Ministry. It was a convenient excuse, and one that didn't hold even a thimble of water in Draco's eyes. If it had been Saint Potter, or Weaselbee who had found themselves in the unique situation that Draco was in when Hermione's memory was erased, then he was fairly certain that both of the golden boys would be taking their N.E.W.T.s, but he was a Malfoy, and the son of a Death Eater, and in so Draco had to live with that.

"I was thinking that we should take a stroll up to the Room of Requirement. I've been putting it off long enough," Hermione said and she rolled over and propped herself up on her elbow as she stared into Draco's eyes.

"You don't have to. We can lay right here and fuck like pixies for the rest of the day if you'd like."

"You'd like that," she said coyly and Draco growled and then wrapped her in a bear hug as they laid naked together in his cozy bed, high in the Ravenclaw tower.

"Mmm, I would indeed."

"But still, I think I'd like to go check it out," Granger said and Draco sighed. He didn't want her anywhere near the likes of Death Eaters. Where Harry fucking Potter might have felt obligated to be the bloody Savior to all in the wizarding world, Draco did not. If Lucius had taught him one thing, it was that he should look after his own, and in his mind, Hermione was _his_. He didn't care what the rest of the damn wizarding world did, so long as he and Hermione and their unborn child were safe and out of harm's way. The more he got to thinking about it, the more convinced he was that he and Hermione should just disappear forever. Hell, he could always move to Romania where he could get a job taming dragons. There were always jobs available in that field, mainly because the blokes who took those jobs didn't last very long around so many fire breathing dragons. It didn't sound all too appealing to Draco though, but it was still on the table as a potential option. The one thing he did know for sure was that he'd just got Hermione back and he was damned determined not to lose her again.

"Alright," he said with reluctance and he stood to dress.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione was a quivering mess as she stood there, hand in hand with Draco in the Room of Requirement. She tried to put on a brave front, that's just who Granger was, but underneath it all he knew that she was terrified. He squeezed her hand tighter as they walked through the room, treading deeper into the mess of dusty, old antiques. There were broken desks and old books and just a whole load of shite that should have been dumped ages ago though he did happen across an old jewelry box that he quickly pocketed. Old habits die hard and Draco couldn't help it.

"You know we don't have to do this," Draco offered but he knew that Hermione was not about to turn away. She was just too damn inquisitive for her own good.

"Here," she said and she stopped short. "Is this where you found me?" Draco's blood ran cold. It was indeed where he had found her, sitting in a pool of her own blood and the dark memories flashed through his mind. It wasn't a day he ever wanted to relive. He'd been so frightened when he found her, he was sure that she had lost the baby—their baby, the baby that was made out of love.

"Yes," he whispered and he slinked an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in tight, kissing her on the forehead.

"Why can't I remember? I remember everything else. I should be able to remember."

"Hermione, why don't we go down to dinner? We can come back another time," he urged but he saw the expression on her face and his heart sunk. She was not about to quit until the dam of memories that was clogging her mind was smashed to smithereens and the flood gates opened. Draco accidentally kicked something on the floor and then something was moving at his feet. They both gazed down to see an automatic quill moving against an old parchment at rapid pace.

"Draco, I remember that," she said and her eyes went wide as she stared at the quill that was frantically writing down everything that they said. Draco bent and picked it up and then two pairs of eyes perused the parchment. He gulped at what he read. "Merlin," Hermione said and tears sprang from her eyes.

"I'll fucking kill him!" Draco shouted when he read all of Lucius's spiteful words. His father and the rest of the Death Eaters meant to use the vanishing cabinet to enter the school. His father had been the one to _obliviate_ Hermione. He reached in his pocket and with white knuckles he gripped his wand. He wanted to use an Unforgivable curse.

"We have to tell Dumbledore," Hermione said and she moved to leave, but Draco held her back when he heard a loud creaking sound. Hermione raised her wand but Draco pulled her into him and then ducked behind an old roll top desk.

Bellatrix's maniacal cackle echoed through the room, as one by one the Death Eater's entered through the vanishing cabinet into the Room of Requirement. Draco was afraid Hermione would either scream out, or try to fight them all on her own, neither of which seemed smart to him, so he covered her mouth with his hand and held them still in their hiding place. They heard the heavy door to the room open and then the room fell quiet again as the Dark Lord's henchmen entered into the castle.

"We should have cursed them. Why did you stop me?"

"The two of us against all of them? Are you daft, Granger? We're not bloody Gryffindors. We're Ravenclaws. Now, let's get the fuck out of here._ Accio_ Firebolt," Draco called his broom. "I know you're a bit too pregnant to ride on a broom, but I'll hold you tight and I won't let you fall. If we travel through the night we can make it to Diagon Alley. I can hock some things and then onto Kings Cross where we can hop a train to Paris."

"Paris?"

"Rome if you wish. Anywhere you want, it doesn't matter so long as we get the fuck out of _here_."

"Draco, I'm not leaving. Our friends need us. Come on, we have to warn Harry and the others," she said and Draco cursed as he followed behind the bushy haired witch with the chestnut eyes.

Review!?

Decided to cut this chapter here, otherwise it would have been a really, really long chapter. Lots coming up in next installment!


	17. Birthdays

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Seventeen

All he had was time as he lay back against the jagged rock of his cell. Azkaban was a cold, dank place, and when it rained his cell became a raging river as water seeped through the cracks of the granite rocks and pooled around him. He shivered in the night as the tortured screams of the other inmates echoed in his ears.

"Draco, are you alright? You haven't spoken in two days," he heard his voice coming from the cell next to him but he did his best to ignore him. "The Dark Lord will come for me, and when he does I will beg for your release too, my son. If you swear allegiance to him, he will accept you into the ranks."

"He's dead, you fool!" Draco shouted in fury. "Your precious Dark Lord is gone."

"What? This cannot be. When I left—"

"When you ran you mean-like the coward that you are. You left us to die!"

"I couldn't watch, Draco. I wanted to spare you, and the child and even the Mudblood-"

"You're a liar," Draco snarled.

"It was your mother. She changed me. I-It was when you quit school to go after Miss Granger. To live with muggles Draco," Lucius said as if shocked and slightly appalled as Draco reluctantly listened to the words of his father, "It was only then that I realized that you were in love."

"Spare me, Father. You're the reason Hermione lost her memory. You're the reason I was forced to quit school. You will find no forgiveness here."

"Then I will keep asking for it. It's not as if either of us is going anywhere, anytime soon. Draco, what did you do to be put in here?"

Draco ignored him as he rolled over on his side and curled himself into a ball. So much had happened and he didn't care to relive it. He soothed himself with visions of the bushy haired brunette, with eyes like swirls of melted, milk chocolate. As he closed his eyes he imagined her next to him on the porch swing at Malfoy Manor, her belly swollen with child and a lullaby on her lips as she sang to their unborn baby. It was the same vision he had seen months earlier in the looking glass. It came to pass alright, if only in his mind.

_Avada Kedavra_! Draco covered his ears to block out the sound of the killing curse but the scene kept replaying in his mind as he watched the putrid, green light shoot from the wand that he held firmly in his hand and then the old man withered before him. Dumbledore was dead.

~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~

"Will you need a second set of keys or just the one?" the landlord asked and she quirked a disapproving eyebrow at Hermione.

"My fiancé is away on business," she lied. "Leave the second set though, I expect him back soon." She smiled at the elderly, muggle woman who owned the flat on Heathers Crescent. She and Draco hadn't really talked about where they would live after the war and after the baby came, but the cozy two bedroom flat was perfect for their budding new family, not to mention that it was close to the Ministry. It was preposterous, the trumped up charges against Draco. He was an arse, true enough, and plenty arrogant, but a killer he was not, and Hermione didn't believe for a second that Draco could have killed Dumbledore.

"Cheerio then," the land lady said politely as she excused herself. "Rent is due on the first of every month."

"Thank you," Hermione smiled at the woman as she closed the door. Once the muggle left, she reached into her bag and pulled out a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and then she frowned when she saw the picture of Draco splashed across the front page of the gossip rag. Oh, the Prophet had run numerous stories about Draco, none of which were flattering and most of which were untrue.

"Hermione?"

"Harry!" Hermione spun on her heels, surprised.

"Malfoy's Mum told me that you were here. The door was unlocked, so I let myself in." Harry made his way over to Hermione where he embraced her. "I know Draco's trial is coming up and I thought that we should talk."

"He's innocent. I don't care what Ronald says. There is no way that Draco killed Dumbledore."

"I was weak and exhausted and everything was a blur."

"Good, then the Wizengamot can't use your testimony against Draco. Now, if Horace can just find a way to make Ron change his story, then Draco would be in the clear. Veritserum, that's it!" Hermione said, excitedly, when the idea dawned on her. At that moment a mild contraction hit her and she let out a soft moan.

"Hermione, why don't you sit down? Your cheeks are flushed. You had a contraction, didn't you? 'Mione?"

"They're just Braxton Hicks, Harry. I'm not having this baby until Draco is out of Azkaban."

"I don't think it works that way. When Pansy had James—"

"Merlin, I forgot to ask about Pansy and the baby!" Hermione said as she sat down on the worn out sofa in her new flat. "How is Pansy and how is your handsome son getting along?"

"They're both doing well. Thank you." At that, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of his now wife, Pansy Potter, and his newborn son, James Potter—named after his father. He had a full head of messy hair and shimmering green eyes. If there were ever any question about whether or not the baby was Harry's, those worries were dispelled when he was born. James was the spitting image of Harry. "Hermione, there's something I need to tell you," he said and he bit his bottom lip as if nervous. "The Aurors…My memory was foggy, so they used _Veritserum_ on me."

"That's brilliant," Hermione shouted for joy as she flung her arms around Harry's neck. "Then Ron's story about what happened won't even matter. _You_ can clear Draco!"

"No, I can't. Hermione, Draco _did_ kill Dumbledore. I apparently witnessed it if only in a half lucid state. I'm sorry."

~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco broke off a piece of moldy, stale bread and fed it to one of his cellmates, a rat, one that had an affinity for toes. A shriek in the distance let Draco know that one of the prisoners on death row had received the kiss of a Dementor and in so, had snuffed out his life. He closed his eyes and wished for death.

"Happy birthday," he heard her say and he knew he was dreaming. "Draco, I don't have long." Draco popped an eye open, afraid of what he would see, but then he gaped when he saw his very pregnant fiancé, her mouth curled into a smile as she reached her hands through the bars of his cell.

"Granger?"

"Yes," she said urgently and Draco stood on shaky legs. Her hair smelled like jasmine and her skin was as soft as silk. He clutched onto her, afraid to let go as his arms shot through the bars of his cell. He kissed her with frantic need.

"I can't believe you're here. The baby?" he said when she finally broke off their needy kiss. She laced her fingers in his and stroked his hand with her thumb. It was a comforting act, one that Draco appreciated more than life itself.

"Still in the oven," she smiled, a smile that was as warm as a glass of butterbeer. "Draco, I hired you a barrister. His name is Horace Slughorn and he's highly regarded. The Daily Prophet is saying that you killed Dumbledore because he refused to let you take your N.E.W.T.s. Draco, you should have told me. It's all my fault. If you hadn't have gone after me—well, I'd be living as a muggle in London. I owe you, which is why I'm working on a plan to get you out."

"You killed Dumbledore, that old fool? Well I can't say I'll be missing him," Lucius piped in.

"Shut up, Father," Draco howled. Hermione narrowed her eyes on the man in the cell next to him, but then turned back to Draco with the same expression of love on her face. "It's absurd that Ron says you killed Dumbledore, and I suspect that the _Veritserum_ they made Harry take was tainted. Your father made quite a lot of enemies," Hermione spat in rapid fashion and Draco could barely keep up.

"Hermione," he whispered under his breath as he ran his hand down her abdomen where his baby was snugly nestled.

"I'm going to get you out of here. I rented us a flat in London. It isn't as fancy as what you grew up with, but we can afford it. After the baby comes, I can work for the Ministry and then hopefully, if all goes well, we can find a way to let you take your N.E.W.T.s and then—"

"Hermione, I did it."

"What?" Hermione said in confusion and Draco gulped. _Hard._ How could he tell her that he killed Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, revered and respected wizard? "You did what? Oh before I forget, your Mum and I baked some of your favorites. It _is_ your birthday after all," she said and she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small parcel which she put into Draco's palm. "I had to shrink it to get past the guards," she said and then she reached into her bra and produced a tiny stick that was no bigger than a wooden match. "I also had to shrink my wand, but this should do the trick," she murmured as she whispered an incantation. Draco watched as the wand grew, and then with expert ease Hermione hit the tied up, brown parcel that was in his hand with a spell and it grew in size. "It's pot roast with those little potatoes that you're so fond of, along with pumpkin juice and some sweets for dessert."

"Thank you. I—don't know what to say. Hermione, I need you to know that I did it. What the papers say—I killed Dumbledore." It was the hardest thing he'd ever had to say, and it was a truth that he knew he couldn't keep from her, even though he had seriously considered it.

"What? No," she said and she backed up and away from him. Tears welled in her eyes like puddles. "How could you? I believed in you, even when nobody else did," she said as a river of salty tears streamed down her face. "I—I have to go." That's when it happened, and Draco could only watch as the hard contraction bowled Hermione over and she collapsed to her knees, with a puddle of amniotic fluid soaking her skirt. Draco fell to his knees and his hands shot through the bars as he reached for her, wanting only to comfort her. She let out an ear piercing scream and then Draco saw the blood and he panicked as cold chills shot down his spine.

"Guards, help! Hermione, it's going to be alright." He knew it wasn't though and he screamed frantically for the prison guards. It seemed like an eternity before they showed as Draco gripped Hermione's hand and squeezed. "It's going to be alright, babydoll. The guards will take you to St. Mungo's where you will get proper care and our baby will born there, not _here_ in this filthy place."

"I'm scared," she said and she grimaced in pain as she sunk to the blood smeared, rock floor beneath her.

"I love you. It will be alright. You will be fine. Our baby will be _fine_." _They just have to be fine_, he said to himself as the guards carried her away.

Her screams went on for what seemed like hours as they echoed through the dank corridors of Azkaban prison. Lucius tried to comfort Draco, but he felt strangled in torment. He shouted for Hermione and for the guards to let him out, to let him go to her, but his screaming fell on deaf ears and yet her anguished shrieks played like a funeral march.

"Cast a bloody pain relieving charm on her, you bloody oafs!" Lucius hollered in annoyance. "Your mother was in quite a lot of pain when she had you, Draco," he said in a futile attempt to ease Draco's worries. It didn't work and he was petrified with worry for both Hermione and their unborn child.

~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~

He exited the floo network with his wrists and ankles in shackles. He was escorted down the long corridors of the Ministry, the walk of shame as it was supposed to be, but Draco couldn't give two shits about that. He was chomping at the bit for information about Hermione and their child.

"I tried once again, on your behalf, to visit Miss Granger, but once again I was turned away. She looked healthy though, from what I could see. That should be of some small comfort to you Mr. Malfoy," Horace Slughorn, Draco's defense attorney said to him as they entered the courtroom where the entire Wizengamot would decide his fate.

"The baby?" he asked with a hopeful expression.

"No news on that front. I'm sorry."

Draco scanned the room, but there was no sign of Hermione. The Wizengamot looked absolutely livid as they scowled at Draco and at that moment his hopes for an acquittal seemed like a fairytale. Later, when Ron Weasley took the stand on the behalf of the prosecution, those chances evaporated on the spot.

"I was flabbergasted. Dumbledore had his back to him and Malfoy pulled out his wand and cast the killing curse," Ron said and he scowled at Draco.

"This is not going well for you," Slughorn whispered to Draco as Ron left the witness stand. "I'm going to have to put you up there. I've only got one character witness who is willing to testify on your behalf, but I don't think even Severus Snape's words will be enough to change this lots minds." Draco nodded.

Dolores Umbridge was heading up the prosecution, and by the sinister smile that played over her face, she looked to be enthralled with it all as she waddled past Draco and sneered down at him.

"Oh, don't worry, you won't be chained and shackled for long. For the sentencing phase, I'm going after death by Dementor's kiss," she whispered as she passed. She called Harry Potter to testify and with a somber look on his face Potter told his story of the events of the night that led up to Draco's incarceration in Azkaban prison, at least he told the parts that he remembered, and Draco's jaw hung open, confused as to why Harry was missing so many pieces of the puzzle. Harry tried in earnest to present a flattering account of Draco and his actions on that fateful night at the castle, but it wasn't enough, not nearly enough.

"Draco was fighting right alongside with me. He even plucked me up and put me on the back of his broom where we went after the Death Eaters who'd taken Hermione. I don't understand why he killed Dumbledore, and I have no memory of it, despite what the _Veritserum_ revealed," Harry said and Umbridge shushed him as she reached for a parchment that was stamped _Office of Aurors _and then she proceeded to read before all in the courtroom, the results of the _veritserum_ that was given to Potter. It was damning proof against Draco and it mostly corroborated Weaselbee's story about the events that had occurred on the grounds of Hogwarts that night.

~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~

"When I call you to the stand, be sure to speak loud enough for the entire Wizengamot to hear you, and oh-if you can get out of this terrible debacle, then I have a job for you," Horace Slughorn quipped just as day two of Draco's trial was set to begin. Draco was slouched in his chair, his head hung low in a hopeless state, that was until Horace nudged him and he perked up when he saw Hermione enter the courtroom. She was the vision of health and beauty and her body had returned to its pristine, pre-pregnant form as her hips swayed confidently whilst she made her way to the front of the courtroom where she was set to testify.

"I didn't see anything as I was whisked away on the back of a dragon just before Voldemort was set to kill me and my baby. May I go now?" Hermione said, irritated by Umbridge's questioning.

"Yes, the dragon that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Did you call this dragon to you? Are you some sort of Dragonlord?"

"No, I'm just a witch, just like you. I am not a Dragonlord."

"Then why did a quite fierce, fully grown, Hungarian Horntail arrive just in the nick of time in order to save you from a perilous death?"

Draco gulped, as he watched Hermione's unease.

"It was raining. Drago, frequently comes back to the castle when it rains in order to keep dry."

"Drago? This dragon has a name? Is this _Drago_ your pet?"

"It's a dragon, Miss, of course it's not a pet," Hermione spat.

"I've never heard of a dragon with a name. Someone must have named it, and we don't name animals unless they are pets. No? Who named the dragon Miss Granger? I must remind you that you are under oath. Perjuring oneself will land you in Azkaban." Draco saw Hermione's throat bulge as she gulped.  
"Draco named it." There were gasps in the courtroom and the hisses of whispers. "But he wasn't a pet," Hermione added in his defense. "He just came inside the castle when it rained, in order to keep dry, just like I said."

"And who let the dragon into the castle Miss Granger? Was it you?"

"No. I mean maybe once I did. Draco mostly let him in. He trusted Draco more since he'd had him since he was a baby." Hermione covered her own mouth with her hand when she'd realized just what she had divulged and what sort of ammunition it would give Umbridge.

"I let my cat inside when it snows or rains. My pet cat, that is. So Draco Malfoy named the dragon, Drago, and he let it in to get out of the rain, just as I let my pet cat inside. Sounds like a pet to me, and yet," Umbridge said laying a pudgy finger upon her chin, "It takes a great magician to summon a dragon in order to do his bidding. I'm quite sure if need be we could provide the testimony from a dragon trainer, but for time's sake let me go out on a limb if I may do so. I submit that Draco Malfoy is in fact a dangerous Dragonlord, who can summon dragons at will. We are all in terrible danger if this is the case. Why, a dragon could descend on this very courtroom, right now as we speak. Albus Dumbledore was probably the only wizard alive who could stop Mr. Malfoy, so that's why he killed him." Draco let out a deflated sigh when he saw several members of the Wizengamot look upwards towards the ceiling as if considering the prospect of a fire breathing dragon reining hellfire down upon the Ministry.

"Draco is _not_ a Dragonlord. That's preposterous!" Hermione shouted in his defense, but Umbridge had her escorted from the witness stand. Hermione didn't look at Draco as she passed by him.

~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~

Draco took a deep breath….

"I didn't want to stay at all. After the Death Eaters stormed the castle, I wanted to just take Hermione and flee on my broomstick."

"But didn't you feel obligated to help in the fight? To warn the others?" Slughorn led the questioning.

"No. Look, I may not be the noblest of gents, but I'm also not the person that's been described in the bloody papers and in this courtroom for the last two days." Draco looked around the room and many scoffed at his words. "Alright, yes some of it was true. I could be a bit of a bully and a bit of a slag at times, but I'm not some evil sorcerer or magician and I didn't summon that dragon, although I was bloody thankful that Drago showed up when he did."

"Why don't you start at the beginning, Mr. Malfoy. Take us through the events of the night."

_She's so noble, so smart and always the bloody do-gooder sort. That's what I love about her—she's everything that I'm not. All I wanted to do was take her out of there, get on my broom and flee, that way Hermione and the baby would be safe. She would have none of it though and she set off through the castle with wand in hand in order to warn anybody and everybody that the Death Eaters had entered the castle. She was very pregnant though, so we stopped in the loo so that she could relieve herself and that's when we ran into the Weasel and Seamus Finnegan. They were involved in activities of a lascivious nature in the fifth floor lavatory."_

_ "_Liar!" Ron stood and shouted and Draco shook his head. "I'm not a bloody poof."

"That is not a lie Ronald and you know it! Merlin, if you love him so what, why deny it?" Hermione rose from her seat in the back of the room and faced Ron Weasley.

"Please continue Mr. Malfoy," Slughorn urged when the Wizengamot demanded that silence be observed during official testimony. Draco couldn't help but smirk at Ron, when he exposed his secret before all.

"_The bloody Gryffindors' were fierce as the lot of them filled the Great Hall where a tremendous battle commenced. Dumbledore had said that he thought the unusual amount of students placed in Gryffindor house at the sorting most probably had a role to play in the war, and he was right it seems, because hexes and curses were flying as we made our way down the moving staircase. I won't lie, I didn't want to be anywhere in or near the castle, so I was relieved when Potter found us and pulled us outside._

_ The bloody oaf, the caretaker, Hagrid, arrived on some ancient contraption that Potter called a motorcycle, only it had the ability to fly. He put Pansy on the back of it and then I urged Hermione to leave with them as well. She wouldn't though, and we ended up in a huge argument over it." _Draco's eyes bore into Hermione and he saw the familiar welling of tears in her eyes. All he wanted to do at that moment was to go to her, take her in his arms and comfort her. She was only a few meters away from him but to Draco they may as well have been oceans apart because his chains and shackles prevented him from even standing without the help from a guard. He mouthed the words _I love you_ to her but she turned her gaze downwards.

"_The battle spilled outside and in the shuffle I was separated from Harry and Hermione. It was Potter that found me but his leg was injured, said Bellatrix hit him with a nasty jinx and he didn't have much feeling in his right leg, but that he saw her enter the Forbidden Forest and that she had Hermione with her. We hopped on my broom and I eventually spotted them in a clearing where Voldemort stood, with wand on Hermione. She was on her knees and she was pleading for the life of our child. I tried to cast the killing curse once I'd landed the broom, but I was disarmed by Voldemort and my wand turned to cinders and blew away as ash right before my very eyes. It was Potter's wand that clashed with Voldemort's, but Harry was injured and Bellatrix had hold of Hermione. I ran to her, but then I ducked when I heard the flapping of wings over my head. I don't command Drago, but we did forge a certain friendship over the years since I sort of came into the possession of a dragon egg. He was probably in the area of the castle because like Hermione said, he isn't fond of the rain, so yes whilst I know it's against the rules, I did let Drago into the castle when it began to pour. He isn't a pet though. Dragons are far too noble to be owned or even tamed, but he grew fond of Hermione over the months when we shared the Ravenclaw tower, so it was no wonder that he torched my Aunt Bellatrix like a roman candle. She had it coming and I was relieved when it beckoned Hermione to crawl onto its back. I watched as he took to the skies with my fiancé and my unborn child, for I knew he would lead them to safety, a safety that I myself failed to provide._

"Just a man wanting to protect the woman he loves and their unborn child, can't blame you for that. Ultimately, the dragon did help the Order of the Phoenix out and the Gryffindors alike, even if substantial damage was done to the school in the process of his fiery flight. His dragon heart as it seems, was in the right place. You can't fault Mr. Malfoy for the actions of a dragon, after all, he is no Dragonlord, he's just your run of the mill, average wizard," Slughorn said with good measure as he smiled at the members of the Wizengamot. Draco felt slightly wounded by his choice of words; particularly the word average and he gaped at Horace Slughorn, who shot him a sly wink as he turned back towards the witness stand, a wink that only Draco was privy to. "And what of Harry Potter and Dumbledore?"

"_Harry was panting and exhausted as he held back the force of Voldemort's magic. Red and green sparks splashed together in a collage of illuminated light while the Death Eaters held their wand on me, waiting to see who would be the victor. For a time, it looked as if it would be Voldemort as Harry was on the ground, clearly in a state of pain and anguish as he cursed Voldemort but then the dragon swooped down and it all happened so fast. Voldemort was forced to break off his attack on Potter in order to defend himself against the great dragon. The Death Eaters scattered into the trees as the forest was lit up with the orange glow of firelight. Voldemort hit Drago with the killing curse and I'll never forget his roar as I watched Drago's wing snap into and then he took to the skies, lame from the attack. I've not seen him since, but I can only hope that he survived. It was during that time that Potter struck the killing blow. Voldemort's attentions were turned towards the dragon so Potter took his chance and hit his mark. Voldemort's body contorted into something that was born out of vile wickedness and then he vanished, and with him his wrath."_

"And Dumbledore, where was he?"

"He didn't show up until the last moment, when Potter shouted the killing curse. That's when I saw him and Potter's best mate, Ron Weaslebee-er-Weasley as they appeared through the trees. He made his way to Potter's side, and I thought that he was going to congratulate him on a job well done."

"Didn't he? Surely he helped Mr. Potter to his feet, offered him first aid, perhaps a pat on the back for his great efforts, no?"

"No. He didn't."

"Then what did he do?"

Draco gulped. He scanned the seats in the courtroom until his eyes met Harry Potter's. Harry was sitting on the edge of his seat in eager anticipation.

"He told us that Harry had to die."

Review!? Sorry this took so long to get out, but my hubby had surgery so my writing had to take a backseat. I am partially done with the next chapter. I hope there aren't too many mistakes, as I only did one pass at edits on this chapter and I have to admit that I am kind of tired, so I apologize if you found mistakes.


	18. Hard Goodbyes

**The Ravenclaw Affair**

Chapter Eighteen

The whole room took a collective gasp.

"And what did Ronald Weasley do? Surely, when Dumbledore made this announcement it did not go over well with, as you put, his best mate."

"I was as shocked as anyone that Harry Potter's best friend would turn on him such as he did," Draco drawled.

"Tell all of it Malfoy, why don't you? Harry is a dark wizard. Tell the rest of it Malfoy!" Ron stood up at that, his face as red as a radish as he pointed an accusatory finger at Malfoy and shouted with boiling intent.

"In light of this turn of events, I would ask that the esteemed Wizengamot grant my client a five minute recess so that I may confer with him."

"Denied. Please precede Mr. Malfoy."

Draco closed his eyes and the events of the night flashed through his mind.

_Harry Potter lay in the dew sodden grass, his face pale and his hair slicked against his forehead. Draco stepped forward when he saw Dumbledore raise his wand on his Slytherin friend. Ron was visibly upset and tears streamed down his face like a raging river._

_ "You can't just kill him."_

_ "Mr. Weasley, Harry Potter is a horcrux. When Voldemort split his soul, part of him entered Harry. We can never truly be rid of Voldemort until the last of the horcruxs are destroyed. _

_ "But can't we just wait, you know to see if he's really a dark wizard?"_

_ "You saw it just as I did. Do you see a wand in Harry's hand? He performed the killing curse without the use of a wand."_

_ "Blimey, wandless magic?"_

_ "Indeed, and more I suspect. All those nights, nights Harry referred to as missing time, I followed him to the Shrieking Shack and there I witnessed the darkness of his magic. He conjured a torture chamber, for that which it was intended I do not know for I had to put a stop to it." Draco moved in closer and when he saw Harry's wand laying in a clover patch in the forest clearing he bent and picked it up. It was as if it was beckoning him. He _had_ to pick it up._

_ "He was sorted into Slytherin," Ron said as Draco listened, his wand hand trembling._

_ "You're not seriously considering killing Potter are you? So what if he was sorted into Slytherin."_

_ "There's more, much more. The things he will do in the future... The Looking Glass does not lie. I would not enter into this lightly, without absolute proof. I am sorry, but Harry must die."_

_ "Do it, you know you want to Draco. He was going to turn us into trolls. He didn't let you take your N.E.W.T.s," he heard Harry say as if he was speaking inside his very head. He blinked twice when he saw that Harry was still laying pale, and unconscious in the soggy grass."Do it. He's going to kill me and you know Hermione won't love you if you stand there and watch me die."_

_ "I'm so sorry, dear Harry Potter, but with Voldemort gone your magic will only increase and you will become a terrible monster. It's the only merciful thing to do. Please forgive me for what I'm about to do."_

_ "Hermione will hate you, Malfoy. Hate you if I die!" Draco's hand was trembling as he raised Harry's wand on Dumbledore. He steeled himself and gripped the wand firm in his hand._

_ "I'll miss you Harry," Ron said and he collapsed on all fours, sobbing._

_ "Avada Kedavra," Draco shouted when Dumbledore held his wand on Harry._

"Mr. Malfoy, need I remind you that you are under oath? Please don't keep us waiting any longer."

"Please, my client looks visibly shaken. Is it too much to ask for just a five minute recess so that he can pull himself together?" Slughorn begged, when Draco turned a whiter shade of pale. "Come on boy, shake it off," Horace urged when he was at long last granted a five minute recess. He escorted Draco to the lavatory across the hall from the courtroom. Draco was shaking, and his stomach was a bundle of nerves. The voice he had heard in his head that night gave him chills and yet it was Potter's voice. _Why had he done it?_ _Was Dumbledore right about Potter?_ At the time it seemed the right thing to do, but now he questioned his actions. Had Potter performed some sort of nonverbal Imperius curse on him?

"I'm so proud of you Draco," he heard her voice as he stood at the sink and splashed cold water over his face.

"I'll be just outside," Slughorn said and he left Draco alone with his fiancé.

"Hermione?"

"You had to kill Dumbledore, Draco. I never would have forgiven you had you not saved Harry. Can you ever forgive me for doubting you?"

"You don't hate me?"

"No you silly sod, I love you. I'm proud of you. Was Dumbledore under the Imperius curse, is that why he wanted to kill Harry? Well anyways, court will be back in session at any moment, so go out there and tell everyone that you saved Harry Potter, and then let's go home."

"The baby?"

"Shhh," she said and she placed her finger over his lips and then she leaned in and replaced that digit with her mouth and Draco reveled in it as his arms shot forward to take her in embrace. His progress was impeded though by the shackles. The kiss wasn't nearly long enough and he wanted more, needed more. "Later alright. Let's get through this first. You desperately need a shave," she said and she giggled as she caressed his sand paper cheek with the back of her dainty hand. He could only watch as she turned and left, her bushy hair, hair he used to hate but now adored because it was so uniquely Granger as it bounced upon her shoulders. He stared into the mirror and wondered just what he would say to the Wizengamot. The truth didn't seem like the smart thing to reveal. The Ravenclaw spirit within told him that much.

~~~~~0~~~~~

His chains rattled as he was led back into the courtroom and the crowd of spectators fell under a hush as the proceedings commenced.

"If I may, I would like to call Ronald Weasley back to the stand," Umbridge declared. The opinion of the Wizengamot was that her motion would be honored but that Draco should finish his testimony first, so Draco was once again put on the spot as Slughorn asked him again to replay the events that led up to Dumbledore's death. _What do I say? Do I tell the truth, that Dumbledore believed himself to be doing the entire wizarding world a favor by offing Potter before he had the chance to do the things that were revealed to Dumbledore via the looking glass? It will be pandemonium, and I'll spend the next five years in Azkaban whilst they hash it all out. Both were beloved, both Potter and Dumbledore and it would split the wizarding world as everyone would be forced to take sides. No, there has to be another answer_, Draco said to himself. That's when her words struck him. Hermione had assumed that Dumbledore was under the Imperius curse.

"I believed Dumbledore to be under the Imperius curse," Draco mumbled the lie under his breath.

"Could you say that louder, Mr. Malfoy?" Slughorn urged.

"He was Imperiused by a Death Eater. The Forbidden Forest was crawling with them that night."

"And how would you know this?"

"I've seen it many times."

"Because of the company that your father kept?"

"Yes," Draco said somberly.

"Liar!" Ron shouted.

When Ron retook the stand, he accurately described the true events of what happened that night and it seemed to be a case of his word against Draco's. Being that the Weasley family were highly regarded as trustworthy, it didn't look bright for Draco, that was until Draco himself decided to lead the cross examination of Ron all by his lonesome. All he had to do was enrage Ron, which was something he'd been doing since their first year at Hogwarts, so it seemed like child's play as Draco approached the bench.

"Isn't it true that you have always lived in Harry Potter's shadow?"

"No, not really, I mean I guess, I dunno," Ron said his face turning pink.

"And isn't it also true that you were jealous of all the attention that Potter received at Hogwart's, so much so that you spent an entire year avoiding him?"

"I was immature. Harry was my friend. Don't you think it was hard for me? You saw me sobbing my bloody eyes out when Dumbledore told us about Harry."

"You hate my guts, would this be a fair assumption?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, it's more than fair. I wouldn't care if you dropped off the face of the earth, Malfoy," Ron said with gritted teeth. Draco cast a sideways glance over his shoulder where he saw the Wizengamot shaking their heads as if put off by Ron's abrasiveness.

"Isn't it true that the reason you hate me so much is that Hermione loves me and not you? That you asked her to marry you and she said no, because she was in love with me."

"Listen here, Malfoy," Ron spat. "If I wanted Hermione, she'd be my wife right now. It's not my fault that she threw out all sense and smarts when she hooked up with the likes of you. She's not good enough to be a part of my family, not after having your ruddy mitts all over her," Ron scoffed.

"That, and you're gay," Draco whispered so only Ron could hear him. That was the spark that ignited the fire. Draco couldn't give a damn whether Ron shagged women, men or hippogriffs, but he knew that it would be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back, and it worked like a charm as he continued his questioning.

"And Harry and Pansy, what of their relationship?"

"She's a bint, and Harry, once he got in Slytherin he acted as if he was too good for me. No, I don't approve of him sleeping with that trollup let alone marrying her and having a kid with her. You both repulse me," Ron said angrily, playing right into Draco's hand.

"So in all your thorough repulsiveness of both Harry Potter and me, you made up all the rubbish about Potter being a dark wizard. You knew that Dumbledore was acting under the Imperius curse, but because you felt betrayed by Harry Potter and more than a little jealous of his good name, you wanted to smear Harry's name and then watch me, your other nemesis, the one who stole your girl, rot away in Azkaban for the crime. Didn't you?"

"Why you slimy, little git!" Ron shouted and then he launched himself from his chair, his fists flailing as he pounced on Draco and knocked him to the floor. Blow after blow Draco was forced to endure the redheads rage as he lay there in chains, unable to defend himself. Finally, the guards were able to restrain him as they pulled Ron off of Draco and hauled him out of the courtroom, whilst all the while Ron shouted obscenities at Draco. It all worked perfectly, and when the Wizengamot reconvened he was temporarily released. If the Aurors could get a confession out of any of the still living Death Eaters, that they had put Dumbledore under the Imperius curse, then Draco could go free. If not, then he would spend the rest of his life in Azkaban. Since it was a lie, Draco was not hopeful that there would be any forthcoming confession, but in the meantime, he had a week of freedom before he had to go before the Wizengamot yet again. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

"Don't worry, Harry and I will help you find the Death Eater that cast the Imperius curse on Dumbledore," Hermione said and she flung her arms around Draco's neck and peppered his face with kisses.

"Cheek hurts a bit from the Weasel's blows," Draco smirked and Hermione plumped her lips and kissed his lips instead.

"Come on, your Mum is waiting outside. She was too nervous to watch the trial."

"Ah, my Mum, I really just want to go somewhere and be alone, with you."

"Well, we won't be alone," Hermione said as the guard unshackled Draco and Hermione led him out into the halls of the Ministry. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his mother, Narcissa Malfoy, sitting on a bench outside the Aurors Office with a swaddled baby in her arms. She looked up at Draco and smiled and then extended her arms to pass Draco his newborn child.

Draco gulped as he stepped forward.

"I—is this?"

"Your daughter," Hermione said, and when Draco paused, unsure as to how hold such a tiny, helpless infant, Hermione stepped forward and took the baby from Narcissa and cradled it in her arms. It was tender and moving, seeing the woman he loved rocking their newborn infant in her arms and Draco suddenly felt choked up watching the pair. "I named her Raven Rose, since you know, we made her in Ravenclaw, the name seemed to make sense. It suits her too, she's as demanding as you when she wants something," Hermione chuckled. "Here, hold her, just remember to support her head," she taught and she placed the tiny infant into Draco's arms.

"She's so beautiful. I thought—your screams. I worried."

"It was a difficult birth, but she came out no worse for wear."

Draco touched each tiny finger and his little girl clasped a hold of his forefinger with a tight grip as she stared up at him for the very first time with such innocence in her eyes. Her eyes were a shiny, bluish-silver and her head was covered with a soft layer of dark blonde hair. As he stared down at her, his fatherly pride bursting at the seams, he could barely even remember a time when he thought in terms of Pureblood, or Mudblood. The whole war was pointless, and he knew that for certain when he held his Raven Rose Malfoy in his arms that day at the Ministry as his fiancé and his loving Mother stared on happily. Pureblood, Halfblood or Mudblood, it didn't matter because she was his and she was perfect in every way. It was then that he knew that the lie he told in the courtroom was the right thing to do. It had to be, because it felt so right holding his baby daughter in his arms.

~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~

"It certainly is cozy," Narcissa said and she wrinkled her nose as she stood in the living room of the small flat.

"It's just temporary, but thank you," Hermione beamed. When the tiny Raven began to cry Hermione took her from Draco and excused herself. Apparently, Hermione had decided to breastfeed their bundle of joy, something that Draco found himself very curious about and oddly, slightly jealous. He wasn't quite sure that he liked the idea of sharing Hermione's tits with anyone else, even his newborn daughter. He laughed to himself over his childishness and selfishness.

"Mum, you don't have to pretend that you like this flat," Draco smirked and Narcissa curled her lip in a matching expression.

"Thank Merlin, for a moment there I thought that couldn't possibly be my son if you liked this dreary place. Come live at the Manor with me, won't you? I never had a daughter, and it would be wonderful to hear the pattering of tiny feet once again in the lonely halls of the Manor. Consider it won't you?"

"We will consider it, Mum. If you don't mind though," Draco said and he motioned to the room Hermione had made up as a nursery.

"Yes, yes of course. I have an appointment anyways. It's long overdue," Narcissa said as she gave Draco an awkward hug. While he knew that his Mum loved him, she was never the touchy feely sort, so even the act of hugging her only son was difficult for her. Draco appreciated the gesture though, and he hugged her back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I know what you want, but I can't do _that,_ at least for another week. Healer's orders," Hermione said from her perch upon Draco's lap as she straddled him.

"You're killing me you saucy witch," Draco growled and then he flipped her over onto her back and caged her with his arms. "There are other things that we can do," he said and his tongue plunged inside the cavern of her mouth. He felt her small but capable hand slip under his silken boxers and he shivered when she took him in hand and began to stroke him. In no short order he removed her camisole top and his eyes went wide when he saw the size of the engorged melons that her breasts had become. They were at least two cup sizes bigger than he'd remembered. He immediately dipped his head, wanting only to suck on her perfect breasts but she stopped him.

"You can't do that. For one, they're sore, and for two I don't think you'd like the taste of breast milk."

"Why not let me be the judge of that," Draco said playfully and he moved the arm away, the one that was covering her ample bosom.

"No way, Malfoy. Not going to happen," she giggled. Draco flopped over on his back and let out a deflated sigh. That's when he felt her bushy mane against the bare skin of his inner thigh and he looked down to watch Hermione as she took him into her mouth. It didn't take him long to reach his climax as she expertly licked and sucked him to conclusion.

"I missed you," she said as she curled herself into the hook of his arm and snuggled in.

"Mmm, missed you too Granger."

"After the summer, I think that you should go back to school."

"Redo my entire seventh year?"

"Mmm," she nodded.

"No. I'll look like a fool. Besides, I'd have to be gone for months out of the year. I'll not leave my two favorite ladies in the wizarding world alone for that long." All of it was moot though, because he knew that when the week was out he would once again be heading back to Azkaban where he would live out his days.

"You need to take your N.E.W.T.s, Draco."

"Alright, whatever you say. I'll go back to Hogwarts if it makes you happy," Draco relented. There was no point spoiling the few days that they had together and he much preferred seeing Hermione smile than scrunch her nose in annoyance with him, or worse, cry.

~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~

Raven liked to stay awake all night, and then sleep all day. Draco did his part and would rise from the bed, retrieve the tot from her bassinet and then bring her to Hermione so that she could feed the tike. After only three days they were working together like a well-oiled machine, and Draco found that fatherhood wasn't all bad, in fact he liked it. He didn't even mind changing nappies, although he much preferred the precious moments where his baby daughter fell asleep on his shoulder with her tiny arms wound tight around his neck. His heart ached at the thought of not being with his family. With his trial looming, Hermione had begun to fret. She was thoroughly frustrated with the Aurors office and she was writing frantic owls to every Ministry official that she could in order to have the charges against Draco expunged so that he could finally be truly free.

"I don't understand why the head Auror can't get a confession out of any of them," she said in frustration.

"Babydoll, please. Just let it go. Come on; let's watch some muggle tele or something. Anything to get your mind off the trial."

"Draco, do you want to go back to Azkaban?" she asked with droplets of tears forming in her eyes.

"Of course I don't. I want to stay right here with you and Raven, well perhaps not here as this place is a right dump," he joked but Hermione didn't find it remotely funny and he knew that she was still stewing about the trial. "Hey, I have an idea," he said and he pulled her into his arms and soothed her. "You saw the healer today, right?"

"Yes I did. She said that everything looked good."

"So—" Draco paused. "Can we make love?"

"She said I can, if I feel up to it."

"And do you?" he said with a hopeful expression.

"What if it's the last time?" she said and a tear trickled down her cheek.

"Then I guess we should make it count, eh?" Draco replied. He wished that he had something more to offer to ease her pain, but the reality was, he was going to spend his life in Azkaban and before he did, he wanted to fuck Hermione inside and out, give her all of himself, something to remember him by.

He had a raging hard on and his cock was throbbing as he lay naked on the bed gazing up at the vision of beauty that stood before him. She was _all_ woman as she stood before him wearing a white, lace negligee that was see through in all the right places. He watched as she peeled the gown off and let it fall to the floor as it pooled at her feet. "I love you so much. Make love to me," she said as she climbed into bed with him. Their passion was frantic and needy as he rubbed at her swollen bud. He slid down her body, dropping kisses as he went and then he took her womanliness into his mouth as he flicked his tongue across her searing flesh. Her moans were music to his ears and when he felt a gush of wetness in her nether region he knew that she was ready as he knelt between her legs and guided his pulsating rod into her. Her back arched and she cried out and then he was filling her up as he slid his entire length into her wanting body. His thrusts were hard and the bed began to creak with each pounding roll of his hips.

"Gods Draco, yes more," she urged and he obliged. Their lovemaking lasted all night and they switched positions more than once during their lust filled jaunt. She rode him, he rode her and the bonds of intimate closeness were forged. "Do it," she begged and he smirked before he gave her what she wanted. His hand came down on her arse as he spanked Hermione until her bum was as red as a tomato and in no short order she came like hot lightening as his own orgasm hit him like an earthquake of magnificent proportions. For hours after, no words were spoken as they laid in one anothers arms, snogging each other like a couple of lovesick school kids.

"How can I lose you?" she asked under her breath. "I feel like you're a part of me."

"You have to find love again. Find a good wizard, someone who will be good to Raven and to you, just no gingers' alright?" he winked. "I'm so sorry that I let you down," Draco murmured, his face aching from the dam of tears that welled behind his eyes at the thought of leaving Hermione and Raven.

"I won't. I love you too much," she declared and Draco captured her lips once more.

Review!?


	19. Platform Nine & Three Quarters

The Ravenclaw Affair

Chapter Nineteen

"Summon the Dementors," the presiding member of the Wizengamot, the stout, balding wizard with the thin mustache announced and with that, Hermione leapt from her seat. Tears streamed down her face as she threw her arms around Draco, clutching onto him, unwilling to let him go. The courtroom was in chaos, as a group of Harry Potter supporters, protested Draco's sentencing and shouts echoed throughout the courtroom. Aurors escorted the unruly witches and wizards from the room as one of the Aurors gripped Draco by the arm and literally yanked him from Hermione's grip as a river of tears streamed down her face.

"Stop, I say," Horace shouted over the din and he protested Draco's departure. Draco found himself being hurried down a hall where he was forced into a small office and then uncuffed. Horace Slughorn, closed the door behind them and then let out an exasperated sigh.

"What the fuck is going on?" Draco said, confused as to why the Aurors had stashed him into the shoebox office instead of hauling his arse off to Azkaban, per the ruling of the Wizengamot.

"This is all bigger than you'd imagine my boy," Horace said nervously as he tapped his finger on the wood table between them. "There was a confession." Draco looked up in astonishment. That was not a possibility since he had in fact lied about the whole Imperius thing. "Your father, Lucius, confessed to placing Dumbledore under the Imperius curse. He said that he did it under Voldemort's command. You are free to go."

"Then what was all that in the courtroom? Why wasn't the confession brought out in there so that Hermione and the Daily Prophet and—" Draco bit out with vehemence, but Slughorn raised his hand to shush him.

"As I said, this is bigger than you could imagine. I can't say much more at this point in time, but what I can say is that the confession will be revealed to the entire wizarding world, but in due time."

"Why? Why the wait? If I'm bloody free then I'm leaving right fucking now," Draco said and he stood to go.

"There are conditions to your release," Slughorn said and Draco stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around on the aging wizard.

~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~

Getting in wasn't the problem, no, the muggle security at the Louvre was quite easy to surpass, so easy that even a third year student at Hogwarts would know the spells needed. Getting out with the ancient artifact however was a whole different beast. Draco tucked the black box under his arm and apparrated away when the alarms began to sound. He found himself in an underground garage that was bustling with people. That's when he first felt the heavy feeling. It was as if each time he apparrated, the box became heavier as if it were filled with led weights. He couldn't risk apparrating again. He was tired and he worried that he might splinch himself if he tried to apparrate again as he lumbered through the parking garage carrying the black box under his arm in an inconspicuous manner as not to draw attention to himself. That's when he spotted the black beamer, shiny and new and Draco knew that he had to have it. Unlocking the car was a breeze, but getting it to start without the key took some wand experimentation but with a little luck he was able to start the car. Muggle police cars were everywhere as news of the break in at the Louvre got out, their sirens whining as they passed by him on the crowded Paris city streets. Draco gazed at the box that he'd laid carefully on the passenger seat of the BMW and with curious trepidation he reached over and opened it. His eyes were saucers when he saw the jewel encrusted dagger with the markings of an ancient serpent on its handle. _What did the Ministry want with it_, he wondered to himself. Why was he asked to steal it from the muggle museum? He had loads of questions, questions he had no answers for. All that Slughorn said was that it was bigger than him and that it was in his best interests to put his talents to work on behalf of those who would see him freed. Talents meaning thief. They saw Draco as a thief, and one who could procure for them something in which they either could not retrieve for themselves or would not.

"_Whatever you do my boy, do not open the box. Bring it directly to me. This is very important. You must not touch the dagger,"_ he heard the voice of Slughorn say in his head. Draco closed the box as he swerved in and out of traffic in his attempt to leave the city. He'd seen enough dark artifacts in his time to know that whatever the dagger was, it was of dark origins. The question of just who wanted it though, and why, plagued him like a splinter in his mind. Voldemort was gone, and the dark wizard round up was a success. _Questions, too many to count_. That's when he remembered Hermione and their darling daughter, and Draco decided to just let it go. He would deliver the priceless dagger to Slughorn and be done with the whole affair. Besides, he had school supplies to shop for since he would be once again attending Hogwarts in the fall where he would repeat his seventh year.

~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~

Malfoy Manor in all its lavishness was not home, and Hermione longed for her little flat in London. She had accepted Narcissa's offer to stay for a while, mainly because she was heartbroken after Draco was led off to Azkaban and she just didn't want to be alone. In the days that passed, Narcissa, had proved to be a godsend as she gave Hermione the much needed time to mourn the loss of her fiancé and lover and father of her child while she as acting Grandmother to little Raven, took on most of the duties of caring for the infant.

"Tea?" Narcissa said as she joined Hermione on the porch of the Manor.

"Thanks," Hermione said and she graciously took the cup of Earl Grey from the elder Malfoy woman.

"Fog is thick today, and I fear it shall rain. You will catch your death out here Hermione. Come inside and we will have a chat by the fire."

"Perhaps in a bit," Hermione said in morose tones. She gave Narcissa a polite smile though as she stared out into the dense fog. The truth was, she liked the dark, greyness. It matched her mood.

"You must be hopeful, dear. I'll just bet that any day now Draco will come home. Never lose hope," she said with a smile before she entered the house and closed the door behind her. Thunder cracked overhead but Hermione didn't even flinch. That's when she heard the snap of a twig in the distance, that followed by cursing. Her senses went on alert as she set her tea cup down and reached for her wand.

"Bloody hell, Mum, hire a muggle or something to come trim these hedges," Hermione heard and her hand began to shake as the silhouette of a man in the distance fell into view, though she couldn't make it out through the dense fog.

"Draco? Is that you?" Hermione asked with a hopeful expression.

"Fuck," he replied and Hermione leapt from her seat as she bounded down the porch steps with wand in hand.

"Draco?" The fog was thick and she could barely see a meter in front of her face. Her feet were freezing as she trod through the wet grass. That's when she remembered that she wasn't wearing shoes.

"Over here," he said and Hermione followed the voice. "Stop right there, don't come any closer."

"Draco is that really you or am I positively going mental?"

"It's me babydoll."

"Oh Draco," she said and she leapt for him, throwing her arms around his neck and peppering kisses over his cheeks and jaw as a light rain began to fall. "How are you here and why are you caught in this bush?"

"I—long story. Granger, I told you not to come any closer," he said when a vine wound itself tightly around his torso and squeezed.

"Merlin," Hermione said when she realized where they were. "This is devils snare."

"Ya think?" Draco drawled in that cool, Malfoy manner. "I couldn't see in the fog. I forgot that Mum had the devils snare put in as a ward. Can you reach your wand?"

"I think so," Hermione said as the thick, moving vines snaked themselves around her shoulder and neck. "No, I can't. Gods what are we going to do? Look, just be still."

"Not so easy as your foot in crushing my nut-sack. Fuck that hurts!" Draco closed his eyes through the pain and chanted under his breath in a dialect that was as secret as it was ancient. When he opened his eyes Hermione's eyes were saucers.

"That language," she bit out as she tried to adjust herself within the snare that had them both. She moved her foot from his groin, but when she did a vine latched onto her ankle and began to squeeze. "Draco, why didn't you tell me? Ouch!"

"Hmm?" Draco feigned dumb. "I dunno what you are talking about."

"You lying prat. That was the ancient language of the dragon. I read about it in Hogwarts a History. There wasn't much on it and it referenced a book called _Lords of the Dragon_, but I could never check that particular book out from the library because somebody had nicked it from the Hogwarts restricted section, and there were no other copies of the book anywhere. I know, I asked Dumbledore."

Draco smirked.

"You!" she said and her jaw fell open. That's when they heard the flapping overhead as the great Hungarian Horntail touched down next to them.

"_Fonniseeeea Drago_," Draco said and the great dragon reared on its haunches. "I suggest you duck my dear, l'est you be singed." Flames shot from the dragon's nostrils and the devils snare released them as it shrank back to its normal state. Draco took Hermione by the hand and together they made their way out of the snare.

"You really should have told me you were a Dragon Lord," Hermione said with glee as she flung her arms around Draco and hugged him tightly.

"A man can't divulge _all_ of his secrets," Draco said with a laugh as he clasped his fingers around Hermione's back and went in for a bruising kiss. His tongue plundered her mouth, swooping and taking what was his. He was forced to break off the kiss though when Drago, nudged him in the back.

"It's raining. He wants out of the rain," Hermione said and Draco nodded.

"Well come on then," Draco said and he looped his arm around Hermione's waist and led both his fiancé and his dragon up the steps of the porch. He pushed through the doors of the Manor with Hermione and the dragon in tow. Narcissa's protests were loud enough to wake a sleeping giant as they echoed through the house.

"Draco," she shouted. "Your dragon is ruining my priceless, Persian rug. At least wipe your feet first, dragon!" she ranted at the great Hungarian Horntail.

The End

Epilogue

"I say we forget this idea, go back to our flat and shag instead," Draco said as he stood stoically on platform 9 ¾'s with his trunk at his feet as they waited for the train that would take him to Hogwarts.

"You're just nervous. It's to be expected," Hermione assured him as she bounced baby Raven on her hip. When the train arrived, Draco turned to Hermione, it was the moment he was dreading. He didn't want to leave his fiancé (fiancé only because Hermione refused to marry him until he had finished his seventh year and successfully passed his N.E.W.T.s) and his darling daughter, Raven Rose. He loathed the thought of spending months away from them, not to mention that he was sure to be unpopular at Hogwarts what with the whole death of Dumbledore, blood on his hands, fiasco. At least the tabloid stories had died down, replaced by an even bigger story, namely that Harry Potter was named as new acting Headmaster of Hogwarts. That was also something that he didn't want to think about. A year under Potter's thumb didn't sound all too appealing.

"When do you start work at the Ministry?" Draco asked and Hermione scrunched her nose.

"Are you daft or just stupid?" she winked. "There is no way that I would work there, not after what they did to you."

"Then what will you do whilst I'm away?"

"I'm sure I will find something to do. I mean it's not as if I will be spending _all_ my time pining over you," Hermione said with a giggle and Draco rolled his eyes at her.

"I love you," he said and he dipped his head and kissed her goodbye. It was a long, lingering kiss, and then he reached for his daughter and took her into his arms and pressed his lips against her forehead.

"I love you too, no go on. All the best compartments will be taken if you don't hurry." Draco moaned and with great reluctance, he boarded the Hogwarts Express. He took his seat and then watched and waved to Hermione and Raven as the train pulled away from the station. _What in the hell was he doing?_ _Another year at Hogwarts?_ He was bloody bonkers to go back to that place.

~~~~~~0~~~~~~~

"…So let's give a warm welcome to all the first year students, and to the new exchange students from Beauxbaton as well," Harry Potter said after the sorting had concluded and the feast appeared on the tables before them. Again, Draco was the only Ravenclaw student, well almost that is. He gazed across the table at the Veela girl, with her platinum hair and her stunningly beautiful silvery-blue eyes. She smiled at him, and Draco nodded to her. _You are engaged_, he reminded himself. _Veela's just have that effect on a bloke,_ he chided when he caught himself staring at her form fitting robes and imagining what she looked like out of them.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Harry Potter, Headmaster of Hogwarts once again piped in. "Sorry, I'm a bit new to this. There have been some staff changes this year, so without further ado, let me introduce you all to our newest Professor. Bored, Draco dug into his chicken breast and potatoes while Potter drawled on. "When Filius Flitwick, resigned in favor of retirement, it seemed a no brainer to hire this accomplished witch as his replacement. Head of the Ravenclaw House and our new Professor of Charms, let me introduce you to Miss Hermione Granger, er—Professor Granger that is. Please give her a warm welcome."

Draco dropped his fork. His jaw hung open as he watched Hermione prance across the Hall with her head held high and a confidant swagger in her step as she took her seat at the teachers table. She winked at Draco as she sat down.

"You've got to be kidding me," Draco said.

"Malfoy, er—Master Malfoy," Harry Potter said when he bumbled up to Draco midway through the feast. "If you would follow me to my office, there is something that we should discuss."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really, no," Potter smiled and ran his hand through his messy dark mane.

"You should have seen the look on your face when I announced that Hermione was the new Professor of Charms," Harry laughed as he took a seat behind Dumbledore's old desk. He motioned for Draco to take a seat so with reluctance, he did so. "That was her doing by the way. She wanted it to be a surprise."

"Why am I not surprised?" Draco asked.

"That's not why I called you here though. You see, Professor Snape has been elevated to new acting Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor. That leaves me in a bit of a predicament, as we don't have a Potions Professor. Snape suggested that I hire a student teacher. He suggested you." Harry paused in order to let his words sink in. "How do you feel about that? Now, you'd still have to participate in all your classes, and you'd be working under the mentorship of Severus, but essentially you would be in charge."

Flabbergasted didn't even come close to how Draco felt at that moment. It was aces, truly the best turn of events that he could possibly imagine.

"Yeah, that sounds bloody brilliant. Thanks, Potter," Draco said with genuineness.

"Well, I owe you one, or two even," Harry said and a dark expression passed over his face.

"Two?"

"For the Dumbledore mess, and for procuring this for me," Harry said and he reached into his desk and produced the black box, the one with the dagger in it. Draco felt a knot the size of a bezoar in his throat when Harry opened the box to reveal the ancient dagger.

"I gave it to Slughorn. I didn't know that you were the private collector—I," Draco replied, feeling tongue tied. _Why in the fuck did Harry Potter want a dark magic artifact such as the dagger was_. He could feel the dark magic swirling in the room the moment that the black box was opened and it's power unleashed.

"Slughorn works for me," Harry said with a confidence about him that seemed different to Draco. Menacing even. "In fact, many at the Ministry work for me as well. I'd like you to also work for me," Harry said, his green orbs boring into Draco as he narrowed his eyes on the blond.

"Well, I already accepted the Potions assistant job…so…"

"You know that's not what I meant. Don't you?" Harry replied cryptically.

"Yeah," Draco said and he gulped. He knew all too well, what with being the son of a Death Eater.

"I need your loyalty and your expertise. So whad'ya say, Malfoy?"

Draco's blood ran cold, but he nodded, reluctantly.

~~~~~0~~~~

Review!?

So, obviously this epilogue was really more of a partial, first chapter of a two-parter. LoL. I hadn't intended to do a sequel, but about midway through this story, I realized that this was such a HUGE story that I would have to split it into two stories. So…stay tuned is all I can say. I hope I gave you enough to gnaw on, and I hope you enjoyed this story. Let me know!


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